Of Rain and Rainbows
by Hayashi Mori
Summary: After one day in the rain, they found themselves living in their own little world. Now everything is changing like the rain washes away the dirt of yesterday because of four new individuals and they realize: What is the point of Rain if you can't see the Rainbow on the other side? Beginning RyomaxFuji, Eventually OT6. :: JUST UPDATED WITH CHAPTER 13
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The first drops of rain splattered against the Biology room windows and Ryoma sighed as he propped his chin up on his hand. It was nearly the end of classes for the day and now it looked like practice would be canceled. _This day couldn't get any worse_ , he thought as he looked towards the front of the room when his name was called.

His professor had her hands on her hips as if they went through this every day and he internally smiled. "I apologize, I went over this same material while in the United States and dazed out. It's no excuse and revision will help keep it fresh of mind. Could you repeat the question?" He asked with an interested face and a monotone voice.

It seemed to through the woman off like his suspected it would as she became flustered and immediately repeated the question, "Would you care to tell the class what a Punnett Square is used for and why it's relevant to our current course study?"

Like he had stated before, he had gone through this exact lesson in the United States more than a year previous to his returning to Japan for the second time. "A Punnett Square, otherwise known as the Gene Square, is a formula that is used to decide the probability of a child getting a particular set of dominant or recessive genes from their parents."

Annoyed as the professor was, he wasn't surprised when she said, "Please come up to the board and show an example."

Without faltering, he easily stood from his seat and walked up to the board. Taking a piece of chalk, he drew a square on the board and made a line down from top to bottom and then from left to right, evenly splitting the square into four sections. Turning to the class he began to explain his answer.

"This is a Punnett Square. Like I stated before, it's used to determine the percentage and likelihood of a child getting a particular trait from their parent's genes. As we learned last week, all genes are either dominant or recessive." He said with a neutral expression.

On the first square he wrote the letters B and b across the top of the square then b and b down the left side. He continued, "Using eye color as an example, let's say that a child's father has brown eyes which is a dominant trait as Bb and the mother has blue eyes which is a recessive trait as bb. Each square is twenty five percent. So to fill in the box, you go down each side and fill in which letters meet in each square; which is Bb and Bb on the left and bb and bb on the right. So, it's a fifty percent chance that the child would have brown eyes and fifty percent that they'd have blue."

There were a few moments of silence before the professor sighed, "Thank you Echizen-kun. Did everyone take notes?" After a chorus of confirmations from the class she sat at her desk, "That's all for today class. I've already handed out the sheet for you to practice using the Punnett Square to figure out the percentages of your own chance at getting the genes you did from your parents. Please fill in the essay in the end explaining how those percentages match up with your own traits; five paragraphs. Class dismissed."

Ryoma shifted into his expression into one of boredom as he gathered his things, including his already completed worksheet, into his bag and walked out of the room at a leisurely pace. He only paused once to look out of the window once more, only to find the rain had transformed into a torrential downpour. With a heavy sigh, he walked out of the room and towards the exit of the school. Despite having been assigned a locker, he never kept anything in it.

He stopped for a moment at the front doors of the school to pull a small umbrella from his bag, letting it out as he stepped into the rain. The few drops that made contact with the back of his neck before the umbrella sheltered him completely were refreshing as he wandered in the direction of the tennis courts. Although practice was cancelled, he still wanted to see if there were any club announcements.

Other members passed him on the way, having already rushed to the announcement board before they missed their buses home. He smirked as some of them hadn't thought to bring an umbrella of their own. _Am I the only one who checks the weather channel in the morning?_ He wondered as he finally stopped in front of the board, which was blank. It wasn't often that there was nothing on the board and Ryoma wasn't so naive to believe that Inui had forgotten.

He had been standing around for a short while when Inui finally walked around the corner from Building C, which housed the upperclassmen. Without a greeting, he posted three sheets of paper; one to announce practice was cancelled, one to announce that practice the next morning would start an hour earlier, and one to announce that the intra-ranking tournament would begin at the evening practice that same afternoon.

At the third paper, Ryoma raised an eyebrow with an appreciative nod, "They've decided to have it more than a month early. Any particular reason why?"

Inui, who had already been expecting the question, answered without looking up from where he was scribbling down observations in his notebook, "Seigaku has been invited to a mock tournament with many of the teams from the Nationals back in middle school by Rikkaidai. This will be the first year that any of us have been to Nationals since then." Ryoma nodded, wondering in the back of his mind how Inui managed to keep his umbrella above his head and write in the notebook at the same time. "Tezuka and Ryuuzaki believe that to get us into our top form, that we should reevaluate the positions. Raise everyone's spirits."

"It sounds interesting," Ryoma commented needlessly as Inui was already nodding.

"It will be another good opportunity to collect updated data." His sempai said as he adjusted his glasses and Ryoma rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure it will be." He said as the soft padding of splashing footsteps walked up beside him. Before he could see who it was a wet hand covered his eyes from behind. Despite the slightly disgusting feeling of water dripping down his face he played the unspoken challenge, "Kikumaru-sempai?" There was a single tap to his shoulder which meant no and he smirked, "Fuji-sempai, you would think that you would have learn not to do that by now."

A soft tinkling chuckle reached his eyes and he turned to find Fuji standing completely soaked through without an umbrella. "Saa, it seems that it always gives me away." While his words were meant to sound disappointing all Fuji sounded was amused. Ryoma stared at him in shock for a moment before his smirk returned full force. Just as he was about to shoot off a sarcastic comment Fuji opened his eyes sending chills up Ryoma's spine, "Do you feel it?"

It didn't take a genius to know what he was referring to and Ryoma's smirk softened into a smile, "Of course."

"The possibility of getting injured if you play is ninety six point eight percent." Inui chimed in and immediately the mood was ruined as Ryoma nearly groaned.

"We're a bit more level headed now Inui-sempai." He said before starting towards the front gates of the school, "I hope that we won't be playing each other tomorrow." The snub made him feel better even though he knew it wouldn't faze the data player.

The soft splashing footsteps followed him but he didn't slow down, just let Fuji catch up to him. As he was nearing the gates he felt the umbrella he was holding snag on something and suddenly he was very quickly becoming drenched. With a shout of shock he tried to pull it back over his head when he heard Fuji laughing softly. He looked up at the tensai with a glare when he realized that Fuji had jerked the umbrella away from him.

"Come on, Ryoma," Fuji said with a soft smile as he folded up the umbrella, "Let's feel it as long as it lasts." Ryoma shook his head as he took his hand, entwining their fingers.

"It doesn't take the rain." He said and Fuji's smiles widened into one of those rare sights that made Ryoma's insides flutter around.

"Only you," Fuji murmured close to his ear causing Ryoma to flush and pull his cap down to cover his eyes as he began leading Fuji down the street towards their houses. The high school was only three blocks from Fuji's house and only four more to Ryoma's. It made Ryoma feel a significant amount of satisfaction to know that he was the one to drop Fuji off, even though he was older.

They strolled down the streets at an unhurried pace, purposely rounding Fuji's block several times before finally stopping in front of his house. Before Ryoma was able to speak he was pulled to Fuji harshly. There were several moments of that heated trance they entered while indulging in one another. He leaned back with a gasp of air and a smile that he had only for his lover when the high became too much. "It will always be you, Syusuke." He murmured before pressing their lips together once more.

It didn't last as long as the first as he kept it short and sweet. _It is fun to keep Fuji guessing_ , Ryoma thought as his lover groaned when he pulled away again. "Hopefully we'll meet on the court tomorrow." Fuji said as he watched Ryoma with open eyes.

Wonderful shivers ran up and down Ryoma's spine as he grinned, "As much as I'd love that, Tezuka-buchou knows better."

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In the end, the intra-ranking tournament had been completely unnecessary. Ryoma rolled his eyes again over it, glancing around the bus at the same seven people that he'd been on a team with for the last five years. Almost everyone was sleeping and he adjusted himself in his seat beside Momo. A chill rushed over him and he looked across the aisle to find Fuji watching him. _This was a bad idea_ , he mouthed to the tensai; whose smile widened in return.

When they had been choosing seats, Eiji had all but begged Fuji to sit with him to talk about something that Ryoma didn't wait around to hear. Knowing that Fuji would want to accept Eiji's request, he went ahead and slid into the seat next to Momo. Now an hour into the drive, Eiji and Momo were both snoring away and he was without Fuji to lean on. "Ryoma," Fuji called and Ryoma looked up to see that he was motioning to another empty row of seats further back in the bus.

Without hesitation Ryoma stood from his seat and was quick to claim the window seat. Fuji sat into the seat next to him as Ryoma raised the elbow rests between them out of the way. He immediately leaned over into Fuji's arms with a sigh of relief. He was also tired and hadn't been able to fall asleep properly during the first part of the drive. "You missed me?" The words were laced with amusement and Ryoma pinched his lover's side sharply.

"I can't fall asleep by myself without being held because you insisted on equally staying over at each other's houses for the last year. This is your own fault." He said sternly, but he knew that Fuji would be able to see through it. Truth was he couldn't stand being away from Fuji for an indefinite amount of time and he considered a three hour drive too long. He felt Fuji press smiling lips against his forehead and he allowed a small smile to cross his face as he settled into the man's arms.

They mumbled softly to one another for the rest of the trip; bits and pieces of endearment and nonsense until the bus finally pulled to a stop in front of what appeared to be a large tennis club. Fuji leaned over him to take a good look at the building and Ryoma watched as his face brightened in recognition. "We're at the special Rikkaidai training camp. No outside team has ever been invited here before."

"I wonder why they suddenly decided to host a mock tournament." Ryoma said lowly and as expected he felt Fuji shrug against him, though he could feel his lover's excitement.

"Saa, I guess we'll see." This had excitement rushing through his own veins and he smiled up at Fuji as the man stood up into the aisle. They both gathered their bags and Ryoma was smart to keep his amusement off his face when Eiji began whining to Fuji about leaving him alone. "Gomen Eiji, you fell asleep."

It was the only explanation that the redhead received before Fuji, followed closely by Ryoma, stepped off the bus to join Tezuka and Oishi where they stood close to the doors. There was a sudden loud shout from the right and Ryoma whipped around to find another familiar redhead running over with several other players in yellow and green following.

"Koshimae! Let's play!" Kintarou nearly growled out and Ryoma smirked as Fuji's fingers dug into his side. He nearly rolled his eyes, as if he needed the reminder to keep calm.

"It's really all you want to do." He said, watching as it only served to egg the other on. Before Kintarou could go about rewording his challenge Shiraishi put a hand on his shoulder, halting his words with a sigh.

"After we find out what is going on, you can play him Kin-chan." Shiraishi said with a soft smile that he only ever directed to the younger man, "We don't even know where the courts are." Kintarou sighed heavily, deflating, and adjusted his bag that was strapped across his shoulders.

Ryoma felt Fuji shifting his weight as he threw an arm around his shoulders, "It will be interesting to see them play again, ne Shiraishi? Ryoma won't lose." It was a challenge Ryoma knew and he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I'm not your prize horse Syusuke." He muttered and Kintarou's eyes widened comically. Before Kintarou could freak out, the sound of another bus coming up the drive grabbed their attention. They all watched as three buses pulled around the corner and stopped, letting out three more teams. Atobe Keigo stepped out of the first bus and Ryoma's eyes narrowed in on the man.

His hair was cropped a bit shorter than what he remembered it being and was neatly gelled back instead of flipped. It was a good look, Ryoma decided and he smirked when Atobe looked his way. The smirk was returned as Atobe made his way over without a bag in hand. Over his shoulder, Kabaji stepped off the bus with twice as many bags as anyone else.

"Some things never change you lazy ass," Ryoma said when the man was close enough to hear and Atobe scowled at him as Fuji chuckled.

"Don't speak to Ore-sama like that brat." Atobe frowned as he finally eyed Ryoma. A look of interest flashed through his eyes before he wiped it from his face and Ryoma internally smirked. He'd let the bastard think he'd gotten away with it for now. Apparently Atobe was quicker than he thought because then he narrowed his eyes and was asking, "What's so amusing?"

"Ne, let's not get too riled up before we get on the court..." Fuji said with what Ryoma was sure to be a serene smile and he leaned down close to his ear again, "or we might get carried away." Ryoma sighed as Atobe raised an eyebrow at the obviously sexually laced statement.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?" Ryoma glanced over Atobe's shoulder at the new voice to find Yukimura Seiichi and Sanada Genichirou standing near the front door of the building with the rest of their team standing behind them. They too, he noticed, had changed their appearances as they had grown. Yukimura was even taller than he had been before though Sanada was still taller. Ryoma could see that Yukimura's hair was pulled back into a low bun and Sanada's was layered to the tops of his ears. At some point Atobe had wandered back over to his team and now it appeared that everyone invited had arrived.

The captains stood in front of their teams as Sanada stepped forward. It was strange to see him without his old cap. "Thank you all for accepting our invitation to participate in a mock tournament before Nationals this year." He said as he crossed his arms, "This tournament will not be between teams, but between individuals." There was a series of murmurs as Fuji hmm'd in his ear and he nodded; this was going to be interesting.

"Each person will receive a sheet with a list of rules and regulations," Sanada continued as what seemed to be an employee of the facility handed out the sheets, "As well as a packet providing additional information and a map of the facility."

When the employee tried to hand him two of each, due to Fuji still having his arm around his shoulders, Ryoma waved them off, "We only need one of each." He took the offered items and glanced over the sheet of rules. Pointing number five out to Fuji he whispered in amusement, "You must refrain from sexual behaviors."

"Saa, I wonder who that rule is for." Fuji questioned and Ryoma pointed out Sengoku causing Fuji to laugh. Eiji hushed them and they settled down, though a smile remained on Ryoma's lips.

"That is all, please allow a representative of our team to show you to the common room for your room assignments." Ryoma realized that he had missed the last half of Sanada's welcome as Yukimura walked over with a soft smile.

Tezuka stepped forward and they shook hands, "Yukimura."

"It's nice to see you again too Tezuka," Yukimura said as the man nodded. He looked around the group, "If you all will follow me and bring your things, I'll take you to the common room." He paused as he laid eyes on Ryoma and Fuji before turning towards the building with a wide smile, "That's a surprise."

Ryoma shrugged out of under Fuji's arm, instead taking him by the hand as they followed the Rikkaidai captain through the interior of the tennis club. They went through the foyer and up a set of stairs to the right, before walking down a long hallway of what appeared to be hotel rooms until they reached the room at the end. Ahead, Hyotei entered the room behind Sanada.

The common room was large with tables and chairs to one side and a living room type set up to the right. There was a television that Atobe would be proud to own on the wall with several video game systems in the entertainment center below it. All along the wall closest to the door was a kitchenette. Ryoma had to admit that it would be a fun place to hang out between matches.

"If you will all take notice, there are posted sheets on the bulletin board by the door that list out the room arrangements. Please make yourselves at home. In an hour, we will meet back here and take you on a tour of the facility and courts." Yukimura said with a smile as he and the other members of the Rikkaidai team slipped out of the room to what Ryoma assumed make it back to their rooms before their roommates arrived.

After most of the crowd had found their arrangement, some people shouting in excitement at their results and others groaning in despair, Ryoma and Fuji walked over to find their names. Ryoma prayed for luck that he'd end up with his boyfriend or he just knew he wouldn't be able to sleep at all this month, but when he found his name he cringed. There in bold letters next to his read: SANADA, G.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ryoma had just finished putting his clothes into one of the two available dressers in the room that he had been assigned. It turned out to be a dorm set up rather than a hotel room like he had originally suspected, much like the U-17 camp that they had attended four years prior. His roommate sat on the lone desk chair in the room, silently watching as Ryoma unpacked.

Sanada seemed neutral about the arrangement and Ryoma guessed that the older man had longer to know about it. "Will we need to bring our gear?" Ryoma questioned tauntingly as he flashed the man a smirk over his shoulder, "Or are you not planning on being wiped across the court today?" The man huffed as he leaned back in the chair more comfortably, crossing one leg across the other.

The tension that had previously permeated the room evaporated after that and the teasing banter that Ryoma remembered having with the man before came naturally. "We didn't want your teammates to have a hard time comforting you with cookies and milk when you lost on the first day," Sanada replied and Ryoma gave a snort of amusement.

A grin grew on his lips as he turned to face Sanada, planning on blatantly bringing up the last time they had played when someone knocked on the door. Ryoma walked over and pulled the door open without looking through the peek hole, smiling when he found Syusuke and Atobe on the other side. "Thank kami, brat…" Atobe said with something akin to a grimace, "Take him back."

"You're already torturing your roommate?" He asked unsurprised with his boyfriend's behavior.

"I don't suppose Sanada would be willing to change rooms?" Atobe didn't give Fuji time to answer as Sanada stood from where he was seated.

"I would but it's against the rules. Something about inter-team bonding," It was clear that Sanada was talking about something Yukimura had probably said.

Fuji gave one of those fake pouts that worked on absolutely no one as he took Ryoma's hand, "Atobe's being mean to me Ryoma and Sanada won't let us be together."

Ryoma rolled his eyes, "You should know better than to think either of them will feel sorry for us." He stepped out of the room, taking Fuji with him. The four of them walked the short distance to the common room, finding most of the other players already scattered around the room.

It became apparent that they were the last ones to join the group as Yukimura stood from his seat by one of the windows. "Alright it seems that everyone is here," He said as he made his way to stand by Sanada, "We're going to take you on a tour of the grounds and then all the captains and vice-captains will be asked to be present for the bracket drawing. So, all things are fair."

With that said he turned and led the group out of the room. The tour was quite informational and Fuji was quick to point out a few nice napping spots that he knew Ryoma would be appreciative of. After the tour, where Yukimura stated that the rest of the day would be free time, the captains and vice-captains all disappeared into the dorms.

Once they had disappeared through the doors leaving them alone to do as they wished Ryoma asked, "What would you like to do Syusuke?" They wandered around the outdoor section of the courts, taking in the sight of the beautiful blossom trees that lined them.

"We could go and catch up with the other teams," Fuji suggested, "Or we could go hike that trail that leads to the rough courts at the top of the mountain like Yukimura-san pointed out." Fuji began leading Ryoma towards the trail knowing what the answer would be.

"We should keep loose since we're not playing today," Ryoma said with a slow forming smirk and Fuji's eyes flashed, "First one to the top wins?"

Before he knew what was happening Fuji began running ahead with a shout, "Go!" With a yell of protest Ryoma took off after him, hot on his heels.

They never noticed the set of gray eyes watching them as they disappeared up the path and into the trees.

* * *

Ryoma sat in the seat between Fuji and Tezuka at one of the dining tables in the common room. The facility had a kitchen staff that would be making their three square meals a day. From what he had gathered, everything would be buffet style. He ate his food slowly; an American style meal of burgers, hot dogs, and steak. It reminded him of the Fourth of July celebrations that he had attended in the states.

Their table had also consisted of Yukimura, Sanada, Atobe, and Shiraishi before Ryoma had stolen the Shitenhoji captain's seat. When the man had begun to protest all it took was a well-aimed look from Fuji for him to laugh nervously and find a new seat. The table was quiet in a way that Ryoma was comfortable with. Fuji and Yukimura held a low conversation about gardening, allowing him to space out in thought.

After dinner there would be another few hours of free time before the nightly curfew at ten. It was something Ryoma was dreading. For the first time in more than a year, he and Fuji wouldn't be sleeping in the same bed. Fuji wouldn't be holding him as he fell asleep. He knew it would be a sleepless night. It would take a lot of adjusting if he wanted to do well in the tournament.

"Have you had a chance to see the brackets?" Yukimura's question to Fuji grabbed his attention and he began to silently listen to the conversation as he ate some of his chips.

"It was interesting to say the least." Fuji said and Ryoma knew that's all he'd say on the subject. If he knew anything about his boyfriend, it was that Fuji liked keeping everyone in the dark until he deemed fit to shove them into the light.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Genichirou and Echizen play." At that Ryoma glanced up from his food to find Yukimura looking at him. It took a moment for him to remember that the last time he and Sanada had played Yukimura had still been in the hospital.

Ryoma smirked, "I'm afraid you'll be bored. It will be the same." Atobe laughed as Sanada glared at him and he continued with his goading, "Besides, I'm more interested in watching you crush the Monkey King." He saw Fuji grin and muffle his laughter out of the corner of his eye as Atobe's amused expression transformed into one of offense.

"I'll have you know that Ore-sama will be winning this tournament, brat." Atobe declared and Ryoma met his glare head-on, taking the challenge for what it was.

"Monkey King if you win your match against Yukimura-san, much less the whole tournament," Ryoma leaned back as he crossed his arms with a smirk and a quick glance to Fuji, "I'll dye my hair purple."

Fuji threw an arm over the back of Ryoma's chair as he aimed a look at Atobe, "I'd take the deal if I were you Atobe. If I could get Ryoma to wear purple more often, I would." At some point during the interaction Tezuka began to rub his temples while Sanada gave a heavy sigh. Yukimura seemed to be highly amused by the bartering as he leaned forward onto his elbows.

"Well, what do I get if I win?" His eyes flashed in a way that sent a chill up Ryoma's spine and he quickly realized that Yukimura was similar to Fuji in some ways; making a deal with him would be like making a deal with the devil.

Ryoma thought for a moment. He really didn't know the Rikkaidai captain all that well. He wondered what Yukimura really wanted out of this exchange. It was then that Fuji, whose mouth had somehow gotten close to his ear, muttered in his all-knowing way, "I'll let you kiss him." This didn't shock Ryoma as much as he thought it should have, but he quickly found he wasn't adverse to the idea.

"As if you could stop me if I wanted to anyway Syusuke." He retaliated with an elbow to the boy's side.

Yukimura laughed, "I wouldn't want to steal him away from you Fuji. You may want to reconsider." Ryoma looked at the man with an unreadable expression. The entire conversation was heading into a direction that Ryoma wasn't sure he was comfortable with anymore.

"Take it or leave it Yukimura-san, Monkey King," Ryoma said as he eyed the two men, "Going once," He paused when Atobe looked indecisive, "Going twice," Yukimura nodded in acceptance as Atobe stood from the table, taking his trash with him.

"Two weeks from now your hair will be lavender." With that the man smirked darkly down at him before walking off to dispose of his things.

"It seems that I'll have to work hard for that kiss, ne?" Yukimura said as he too stood with Sanada. After they left, Ryoma turned to Fuji with a look.

"Goodnight Tezuka-buchou," Ryoma said as he pulled Fuji up from the table, "We need to talk."

Fuji smiled gently though Ryoma saw the mischievousness hiding underneath, "Of course Ryoma."

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It had been as long of a night as Ryoma had expected it to be and it seemed that just as soon as he had finally fallen asleep from pure exhaustion, Sanada was shaking him awake. He groaned as he rolled out of the bed, already hearing chatter and laughter from the other players through the thin dorm door. He quickly picked out his clothes for the day and he went about getting ready as he entered their bathroom.

As he showered, Ryoma leaned heavily against the wall and turned the water to a colder setting to keep himself awake. When he had told Fuji about his difficulty sleeping without him the day before, he hadn't been joking; as much as he was loath to admit it. He knew that he had mentioned it the day before, but it felt so long ago. Everything that happened the day before felt that way.

Before he had been dropped off at his room for the night, he and Fuji had a long discussion about their feelings and what they wanted after the interaction with Yukimura and Atobe. Ryoma had voiced his concerns bluntly.

 _What was Fuji thinking, for one thing?_

Ryoma didn't know if he was attracted to Yukimura, despite being curious; the more obvious problem with it being that he loved Fuji dearly.

 _Wasn't it strange to be kissing another person when you were already in a committed relationship?_

The last time Ryoma checked, that was called cheating.

 _I know it wouldn't go anywhere, but aren't we enough for each other?_

It was difficult to admit that the idea that they were running out of steam for one another hurt.

Of course Fuji had given his own comforting answers, glossing over Ryoma's fears in one fell swoop.

 _Three years ago, I couldn't fathom the idea of loving you more than I already did, but that happened and three years from now it will have happened again. You will always be enough for me and I'm sorry if I made you feel that you aren't. It had been a moment of teasing and I didn't realize that it would make you insecure. You don't have to participate if you aren't comfortable with it._

Ryoma had nearly cried. While Ryoma was still unsure about the entire thing, he still couldn't find himself to be adverse to the idea. It confused him greatly. He loved Fuji and Fuji was enough; so why did the idea of kissing Yukimura seem so interesting? Ryoma guessed it was along the same line of reasoning as to why Fuji was so interested to see him kiss Yukimura. He knew that they would figure it out.

After coming out of the bathroom to find Sanada gone, he grabbed his phone from where it had been charging and headed out into the hall. His eyes felt heavy, as if they were made of lead. The tiredness that he had felt before his shower hit him again tenfold and he stumbled his way towards the common room. When he got to the doors, he immediately scanned the crowd looking for Fuji and when he didn't immediately find him, whined lowly.

"Good morning, Ochibi!" The shout came from the side before Ryoma found himself with an arm full of Eiji. The older boy held him tightly as if they hadn't seen each other just yesterday, but his embrace was warm and Ryoma felt his eyes slipping closed as he began to nod off. The last thing he heard before he fell asleep was Eiji asking something that he couldn't quite make out.

* * *

"Are you okay, nya?"

Seiichi rushed over from where he was putting a few different fruit slices onto his plate when he heard the worried shout. By the time he reached the small cluster of Seigaku members, he found Kikumaru gently laying Echizen onto the couch. Tezuka was standing beside him with his cellphone to his ear, talking to someone in a hushed urgent tone. Something was obviously wrong.

"What's happened?" Seiichi asked as he stood behind the couch watching as Oishi checked Echizen for a pulse. The man sighed in relief when he found one and the tension in Seiichi's shoulders released.

"Ochibi just wilted! He was fine one minute at then he was out!" Kikumaru said with a worried tone, tears in his eyes. He was one his knees by Echizen, holding his hand tightly. There was a soft murmur around them.

"Did you try waking him up, Eiji?" Oishi asked and the redhead shook his head. The vice-captain took both Echizen's shoulders and shook him gently, "Echizen! Echizen, wake up!" There was a soft flutter of the younger man's eyelids before Echizen jumped almost violently and woke up. His eyes were almost feral until they landed on Oishi and then Eiji before he relaxed.

"You gave everyone a scare there boya," Seiichi said as Oishi helped Echizen into a sitting position. Oishi fluttered around him, checking his pulse again and checking for a fever. When it seemed that everything checked out there was a call from the doorway and Seiichi looked up to see Fuji walking over with Atobe in tow; Tezuka must have called him. Echizen was in the process of waving off Oishi when Fuji settled down on the couch next to him.

Echizen took one look at Fuji and sighed in relief, "Tell them to leave me alone, I'm fine." Fuji sent Oishi away with one look, while placing a hand on the back of Echizen's neck.

Seiichi watched as they seemed to murmur to one another, raising an eyebrow when Echizen's shoulders relaxed and worriedly noted when his eyes slid shut mid-sentence. He watched as Fuji sighed as Kikumaru made another worried noise.

"That's exactly what happened a few minutes ago Fujiko! He was just fine and then," Kikumaru waved his hands as if performing a magic trick, "Out!"

Fuji sighed as he rubbed his temple in a way that reminded Seiichi of Tezuka, "We were assigned separate rooms."

Kikumaru's eyes widened impossibly, "No way, nya! No wonder he's falling asleep like this. Ochibi's exhausted."

"I'm sorry," Seiichi interrupted as his curiosity peaked, "What do separate rooms have to do with this?"

Fuji's eyes darted to his own and it was the first time that Seiichi realized that they were open; cerulean blue glaring up at him. Before he had a chance to speak, Kikumaru began filling him in, "Ochibi can't sleep properly unless Fujiko is nearby. With separate rooms, Ochibi obviously wasn't able to sleep well," Kikumaru paused to worriedly glance at Echizen, "if at all."

"Echizen was asleep when I woke him up this morning," Sanada said and Seiichi would have jumped if he didn't have a decent level of composure. He hadn't realized that his vice-captain had joined them. Fuji looked at Sanada with a questioning look, "He had slept through his alarm five times, so I had to wake him."

This seemed to be the point where Fuji met his limit of annoyance, because he swept Echizen into his arms and demanded, "Take me to your room. We won't be joining you all today."

Although Seiichi was, supposedly, in charge he didn't try to stop Fuji from all but storming out of the room or Sanada from going to appease him. Once the three were out of sight, Atobe stepped up in between Tezuka and himself. "I believe I speak for all of us when I say that an exception needs to be made in means to the sleeping situation." Atobe spoke in a way that demanded acquiesce, "If the brat can't sleep that means he can't play. Tezuka, I'm sure, agrees."

Tezuka only nodded, not deeming it fit to speak and Seiichi sighed. "If I had known it would be a problem, I would have assigned the rooms differently." He nodded to Sanada as he returned, "I didn't even know they were dating." He wondered if the others could tell that his proclamation was a half-truth.

"I do wonder though," Atobe spoke almost wistfully, "Why is it such a problem?"

Tezuka sighed and adjusted his glasses when Oishi commented, "From what I've been told by Eiji and Inui, they haven't slept apart in more than a year. Something about a housing rotation I believe."

While Seiichi may have had an inclination that Fuji and Echizen were dating through the grapevine, he hadn't known that they had essentially been living together. "How long have they been dating?" He asked lightly and Tezuka looked at him.

"They wouldn't appreciate us speculating," Tezuka said in a no-argument tone, "If you have questions, ask them yourself." He walked away through the common room doors and Oishi followed with Eiji wrapped around his shoulders.

Seiichi was left to his thoughts as everyone grouped off to do whatever they felt like with the free-time that morning. It wouldn't be until after lunch when the first matches of the tournament would be held, so he sat onto one of the empty couches in the room losing himself to his thoughts. Sanada had hesitated as if to stay with him, before allowing Akaya to drag him out onto the courts for a practice match.

Fuji and Echizen were closer than they had originally appeared to be. They had been dating for an indeterminate amount of time and were serious about one another to the extent that they had created a housing rotation. Echizen couldn't sleep without Fuji. Seiichi laid his head on the back of the couch as he stared at the ceiling. He had managed to both get on Fuji's good side and then get on his worse side, in a matter of twenty four hours. This was going to be harder than he thought.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next time that Seiichi laid eyes on Echizen it was only a few minutes before the match between Akutsu Jin and Tooyama Kintarou that afternoon. Fuji was by his side, but they weren't touching; something that seemed to be annoying Echizen if the glower on his face was anything to go by. He wondered if it had anything to do with Echizen's sleeping situation as he walked over to stand next to them.

"Who are you betting on?" Seiichi asked and Echizen glanced up at him from under his cap. He silently stared at him for a moment before he smirked in a half-hearted way. Seiichi guessed that he was still tired even with the morning of rest.

"As easy as it was to slaughter the lot of you," Echizen said, "I've never been able to get a point from the kid." It would have been offensive if Seiichi hadn't caught the teasing in his voice. As Echizen turned back to the court at a shout from Tooyama – _Watch this, Koshimae!_ – Seiichi met Fuji's gaze. While his eyes were closed, Seiichi could tell that the man was flat out glaring.

"I apologize for the problem," Seiichi apologized; straightening his spine as he did so. "Atobe and Sanada are already unpacked so I won't ask them to move, but you and Echizen may stay in either room." For a moment Fuji continued to stare at him, as if sizing him up, before relaxing his gaze with a nod.

It was as much acceptance of the apology that Seiichi knew he was going to get, so he set his eyes back on the match that had yet to start. Tooyama was stretching eagerly as Akutsu glared from across the court. Oshitari Yuushi, who had been volunteered by Atobe, sat in the Referee chair, calling the match to begin.

"Tooyama Kintarou vs. Akutsu Jin. One Set Match. Tooyama to serve." Oshitari said in an almost lazy voice, just loud enough for everyone to hear. The two ends of the court erupted into cheers from either of the players respective teams, along with the other non-members who chose sides. Tooyama pulled out a set of headphones from his pocket and pressed a button on the chord that Seiichi assumed made music play from an unseen device.

Echizen muttered lowly next to him obviously impressed by something Seiichi didn't see, " _No way_." He looked down at the younger man questningly, but Echizen just shrugged off his curiosity, "Just watch."

Tooyama had begun to move in a way that signified some beat that the crowd, and Akutsu, couldn't hear. His entire body swayed to a melody that only he was privy to as he stilled for a split second to toss the ball into the air and then so fast that Seiichi had to blink twice, he flew threw a strange motion to serve an Ace. Akutsu stared at the kid with wide eyes and turned to catch the ball thrown back to him from over the fence.

"Did it really go through the fence?" Fuji asked and Seiichi noticed that his eyes were open; so he wasn't the only one to have been caught off guard. Between them Echizen chuckled, watching Tooyama serve again, his pupils blown.

"50-Love to Tooyama! Match point!" Oshitari called out and for the third time Kikumaru threw the ball back over the fence to Akutsu. Seiichi frowned at having missed the last two serves. Akutsu's face was twisted in anger as he prepared to receive the next one. It was then that Seiichi realized; Akutsu couldn't touch Tooyama's strange serve. The kid turned to look at Echizen with a grin so wide that Seiichi half expected his face to crack.

"One more time Koshimae and then you'll have to figure out the rest later." It occurred to him suddenly that Echizen was already calculating how to break Tooyama's serve as the kid tossed the ball in the air and in another flurry of movement sent the ball flying over the net.

"Tooyama, 1 Game to Love. Switch Court." Oshitari said. Echizen huffed as he turned on his heal and began walking away towards the indoor training area.

Fuji stayed by the fence, watching as Akutsu prepared to serve as Seiichi called out to the younger man, "You aren't going to finish watching?"

Echizen paused for only a moment before answering in a serious tone, "You won't be seeing Sanada and I play this time round." Seiichi's eyes widened at that even as Fuji smirked out of the corner of his eye. By the time he could think of a reply, Echizen was already walking through the training room doors.

When he looked back to the court, Tooyama was in the process of completely smashing Akutsu into the clay and he had a short moment of worry for Sanada when he would play the kid. "He's rarely wrong, Yukimura-san." Fuji's words ripped away what was left of his solid footing and Seiichi sighed.

"When did everyone get so strong?" He questioned himself.

"When did everyone slack off?" Fuji chuckled and Seiichi looked across the court to meet Sanada's eyes from where he was standing next to Akaya and Marui. A fire was blazing within those eyes and Seiichi could swear he felt the heat.

He smirked Fuji's way, "Who said we have?"

Fuji smirked back in amusement. He was wrong to doubt. After all, Sanada wasn't easy to defeat.

* * *

The rest of the day went in all the ways that Seiichi hadn't expected. All of the matches were interesting and he was quite surprised by the amount of growth many of the players had achieved. Tooyama had been in the first match of the day and had completely blown his expectations out of the water. Even after watching the entire match he had no idea how he would go about playing against the kids technique. If the kid even makes it that far, Seiichi thought as he walked through the training area doors.

Before he even had the chance to look around for the familiar white cap someone called out to him from the left, "You'll do. Get on the other side of the net, I need to try this against someone." Echizen, who had been using one of the practice walls, stepped onto one of the indoor courts after grabbing a couple tennis balls on his way. Without a moments hesitation, Seiichi grabbed one of the rackets of the spare shelf and stood across from him.

Echizen was wearing a set of headphones. "You've already been working on it?" Seiichi asked before Echizen could play whatever music he was listening to.

The younger man looked up in amusement. "Do you think I just magically know how to copy someone's technique?" He asked with a full force smirk that Seiichi hadn't realized that he wanted to see again.

"You seem to be able to work out problems on the court well enough." Seiichi said as he crossed his arms.

"That may have worked against you, but let me remind you," Seiichi knew what he would say before he said it, "I've never gotten a point against the kid."

Without waiting for a response Echizen started his music and began moving gently to whatever he was hearing. Seiichi could tell a distinct difference between the way that he moved in comparison to Tooyama; but he just cracked that up to being because Echizen didn't know what Tooyama had been listening to. This was why Echizen had needed a partner; to test his theories.

There were long minutes of Echizen getting used to the beat and trying to find an interlude to fit in his serve. Seiichi could see the frustration beginning to seep into the mans expression as he started the song over again and again. Finally, Echizen pulled one headphone out and looked him dead in the eye, "Let's just rally and I'll figure it out as we go."

He immediately hit the ball across the next to start and Seiichi didn't hesitate to humor him. Echizen had already shoved the little speaker back into place as he returned the ball with a backhand, moving about in a strange fashion to a beat that Seiichi didn't understand. It was apparent that despite the actual playing, Echizen was still having a hard time figuring out what the hell he was doing.

After the seventh time of Echizen completely missing an easy return due to not being able to figure out his movements, Seiichi's eyes widened. That was it. "Echizen," He waved to get his attention and Echizen stopped the music waiting for him to continue, "Let's assume that Tooyama wasn't listening to anything."

Echizen gave him an incredulous look, "What?"

"Let's assume that Tooyama wasn't listening to any music. Let's say that he put the earbuds in for show and that the movements he was making are related directly to his serve." Seiichi explained his reasoning and watched as the wheels began to turn behind Echizen's eyes.

"He's not dancing. It's all part of the movement of his serve." Echizen mumbled to himself.

"Exactly." Seiichi nodded and watched in fascination as Echizen's face turned an attractive shade of red.

Echizen seemed to fume for a moment before he sighed and pressed the button to play his music once more. He fiddled with the device to find another song and began dancing to an even faster beat than before. He was shocked that Echizen was being this stubborn. "You think you can mimic his serve?" The question floated between them for a moment.

Seiichi smirked almost wickedly, "I believe I can manage." Tooyama better watch himself. Two can play at that game apparently.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Syusuke stepped out of the bathroom in his pajama shorts and a loose tank, still toweling his hair dry. He set his shower bag under his bed in its place next to his tennis shoes and sat down on the edge of the mattress. It was still a couple hours before curfew, but he was preparing for his night in Ryoma's room. When he had discovered that his boyfriend hadn't slept nearly at all the night before, anger and worry had taken over.

While he didn't say anything, he had expected that the situation would be rectified and when Yukimura had informed him of the rooming exception, he had been satisfied. It wasn't as good as if he and Ryoma had their own room, but it would do. The door opened and he didn't look up as Atobe walked into the room, shutting it again behind him.

"You'll be going to their room?" The question was more of a statement but Syusuke nodded anyway.

"We'll be alternating rooms every other night," He explained even though he didn't need to, "Like we do with our houses."

Atobe didn't reply but Syusuke could feel the man's curiosity. However, he remained silent. When Atobe wanted to know badly enough, he could ask. In the meantime, Syusuke went about gathering the things he'd need for the night; his pillow, his phone and charger, his cactus, and his morning bag. A few minutes later he was prepared to take his things to Ryoma's room.

Across the room Atobe was changing into his night clothes, an eye catching purple number, when he finally spoke, "How long have you and the brat been dating?"

Syusuke hid his amusement behind his hooded eyes as he answered plainly, "Almost three years." For a moment, Atobe's shoulders stiffened before he finished putting his arms through the sleeves of the shirt and began buttoning up the front with slightly shaky fingers. As much as he tried to hide it, Syusuke noticed.

"It's odd that you kept it hidden for so long," Atobe replied in a successfully flat tone, "I wouldn't have pegged you as the secretive type. Bragging maybe, but not secretive."

That caught Syusuke's attention and his eyes slid open slightly as a sort of realization came over him. "We didn't try to hide it as much as we didn't feel the need to inform anyone," He said as he watched Atobe carefully. The man kept looking everywhere but at his roommate. Syusuke hummed to himself, "Why would I need to brag?"

He didn't know exactly what he hoped in response from Atobe, but when the man finally met his eye he saw an emotion that he wasn't expecting to see. It wasn't envy like he had thought it would be; it was interest. That sent a wave akin to shock through his system and Syusuke closed his eyes once more. A pleasant looking smile still played on his lips as he waited for Atobe's response.

"No reason, I suppose." Atobe played off and he went back to readying himself for bed, but Syusuke had seen and heard everything that he needed to. Having mercy on the man, Syusuke nodded as he lifted all his belongings into his arms.

"I guess I'll see you in a bit." Syusuke said and only paused long enough to see Atobe nod before he disappeared through the door. He passed a few players on the way to Ryoma's room, including Eiji who asked how Ryoma was faring after the disastrous night before. They conversed for a few minutes in hushed tones as Syusuke comforted Eiji's worries before continuing on his way.

He gently kicked the door in a knock and heard a shuffling inside as someone moved around. When it swung open, Syusuke nodded his thanks to Sanada as he held the door. "Ryoma isn't back yet," Sanada said in clarification of his boyfriend's absence from the room.

"I expected as much. He was fired up after seeing Tooyama's new serve." Syusuke said as he began placing his things on Ryoma's side of the room. He set the little cactus on the side of the desk that was piled with cans of Ponta and placed his morning bag on top of the dresser beside Ryoma's. The pillow was tossed to the back of the bed nearest the wall and he pulled down the covers in a messy manner.

As he finished plugging in his charger below Ryoma's near the bed, he went into the bathroom and filled up a spare cup with only a little bit of water before walking back out. He watered the cactus and returned the cup to the bathroom. "Even though they don't need much attention, I couldn't leave it home for the entire month," Syusuke said even though he knew Sanada couldn't care less. Yukimura was the one who enjoyed gardening.

Sanada only gave a grunt of response and Syusuke smiled softly. He took a good look around the room and decided that he was satisfied. Once he made sure that he had his phone in his pocket he waved to Sanada as he opened the door. "I'll be in the common room if Ryoma comes looking for me," He said and without waiting for any acknowledgement to his words, closed the door behind him.

The common room was quite full for this time of night and when Syusuke spotted Tezuka reading a novel while sitting in one of the recliners, he wondered how he was concentrating with the noise. Several of the players where enjoying the video game systems that were provided while another smaller group were playing poker at one of the dinner tables. He hummed again as he made his way over, sitting down beside Tezuka in another recliner. Tezuka gave him a grunt of address and Syusuke chuckled. If Tezuka and Sanada were trapped on an island together they would create an entire language made of grunts, Syusuke was sure of it.

They sat in companionable silence for a short while, Tezuka reading and Syusuke observing their friends and opponents. When the poker game at the table wrapped up with Kirihara, surprisingly in Syusuke's opinion, collecting his winnings of snacks and change Shiraishi waved him over. "Why don't you and Tezuka join us?" The other couple players, Momoshiro and Kamio, groaned. Syusuke stood from his seat, while Tezuka hesitated.

"You may think I'm a tensai at everything," He said as he settled into the open seat beside Shiraishi, "and I am. Tezuka sucks." This comment seemed to stoke a small fire in the buchou, because Tezuka closed his book after marking the page and joined them at the table.

Momoshiro seemed to go a little white in the face and when Kamio asked him what was wrong he simply said, "If Tezuka-buchou raises, just fold."

The game commenced with Shiraishi as the dealer. Before they began Tezuka handed Syusuke a handful of candies from a nearby jar as currency. "I'll pay you back later," Syusuke teased and the game went underway. In the middle of the fifth hand, with Kamio out despite Momoshiro's warning, soap scented arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind.

"Ne, pocket aces?" The words were false whispered in his ear and he threw on an exasperated expression as he tilted his cards closer to the vest; hiding his true hand even as Kirihara immediately folded. Ryoma smirked at him before reaching forward and pushing all of Syusuke's candies into the pile, "All in."

"Aces alone won't win," Syusuke muttered with a sigh as Shiraishi fell into the trap and pushed all of his treats in as well. Momoshiro folded and Tezuka eyed them both before pushing an amount of candies equal to Syusuke's bet into the pile as his spectacles glinted. "Saa, alright. Hands down."

Shiraishi's hand of a full house fanned across the table followed by Tezuka's four queens, to which _the bible_ cursed lowly. "I'm out," He sighed and Syusuke chuckled.

Ryoma took his cards and with a smirk directed at Tezuka he laid them out to display the straight flush five through nine spades, "You shouldn't let your guard down, Buchou." Momoshiro laughed and Shiraishi whined that they were cheating as Ryoma pulled all of the candies towards Syusuke. "It's the only way we can beat Buchou," Ryoma confessed as Tezuka sighed from where he now had a little less candy than Syusuke.

Although he was out, Shiraishi was kind enough to continue as dealer and Ryoma pulled up a seat beside his boyfriend. Momoshiro pointed at him with an exaggerated sigh, "No cheating anymore. Just sit there and look pretty for your beau." Of course this demand flew in one ear and right out the other. While he no longer called out what his hand held, Syusuke would flash Ryoma the cards and the younger would either nod or shake his head.

This of course led to the quick outing of both Momoshiro and Kirihara until only Tezuka and Syusuke were left. During the last few hands, they changed up their strategy and Ryoma stood back up to wrap his arms around Syusuke once more; watching his hand from over his shoulder. There were no more visible signs of messing around as hand after hand was passed until finally Syusuke had most of the candy and Tezuka a small handful.

Although Syusuke truly didn't need Ryoma to win, he allowed his lover to squeeze him softly when he thought it was a good hand and tilt his head closer when he thought it wasn't. He loved it when Ryoma got that fire in his eyes when he got competitive, so he'd always let him _help_ ; because it was pretty wide known that Ryoma sucked at poker while playing alone.

Across the table, Tezuka pushed all of his candies in and he felt more than saw Ryoma narrow in on Tezuka's face and demeanor. He tilted his face closer with an invisible pinch to his arm and Syusuke sighed in debate; Ryoma thought he was faking a bluff. It was the highest possibility what with Syusuke's already high previous bid equal to half Tezuka's candy.

Syusuke looked at his own hand of a full house; two six's and three jacks. For a few long moments he pondered on the odds of Tezuka having any of the three better winning hands. Then with steady fingers, despite Ryoma's second pinch, he put another handful of candy to match Tezuka's in the center of the table. He waited for Tezuka to lay out his hand before grinning widely at the flush; two, three, six, jack, and king of hearts.

"It goes to me this time Tezuka," Syusuke said as he laid out his full house and Ryoma went about distributing the candy amongst the losers, only saving a few pieces for themselves. Tezuka sighed as he rubbed his temple, much to Syusuke's amusement.

When Ryoma was done, Syusuke pulled him close into short kiss before leaning back with a chuckle, "Love, that is why you suck at poker." The looks they received were confused, but Syusuke laughed while trying to dodge Ryoma's sudden attack of more painful pinches.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ryoma sighed contentedly as he snuggled down further into the covers of the bed, scooting as close to Syusuke as possible. His boyfriend was all but sandwiched between him and the wall. Syusuke didn't seem to mind though; his arms wrapped around Ryoma all the tighter and tucked the younger man's head under his chin. They had laid down for bed a few hours previously, but something had disturbed his sleep. He lay there quietly listening for what could have possibly woken him.

There was a grunt from across the room and Ryoma stared through the darkness at the man who slept across from them. Sanada turned over again with a heavy sigh and Ryoma could barely see the frustrated expression on the man's face in the dim light of the moon that filtered through the window. The Rikkaidai fuku-buchou settled down into the mattress once more but after a moment, he tossed again with a frustrated sound escaping his throat hoarsely.

When it seemed that Sanada wouldn't be settling down anytime soon, Ryoma sighed softly. "Sanada," He whispered and watched the shape on Sanada's bed stiffen, "Are you okay?" The man lifted himself up onto one elbow, staring back at Ryoma through the shadows.

"I'm fine," He whispered back and Ryoma felt Syusuke's arms shift about his waist. His boyfriend had been woken too. "I'm sorry if I woke you." Sanada lowered himself back down on the bed, trying to get comfortable and Ryoma frowned. He knew what it was like to be unable to sleep.

"Can you not sleep?" He already knew the answer to his question.

"No," Sanada provided. After a span of silence Ryoma thought he wasn't going to continue when Sanada said, "I can't shut off my thoughts tonight."

Ryoma also knew what that was like. "Do you want to talk about it?" It seemed that Sanada found his offer strange as he didn't respond for a second.

"I'm thinking about the match with Tooyama." If Ryoma didn't find that statement so frustratingly relatable, he would have laughed. At first he didn't know how to respond. Then, it crossed his mind that maybe Sanada could be the same as Ryoma was when it came to worrying about a match. When in doubt, play it out.

He hesitated only a moment before asking, "Would you like to go play?"

Silence stretched between them for so long of a moment that Ryoma at first thought that Sanada had finally fallen asleep, but then the man was shifting and standing from the bed, "Yes." Ryoma carefully climbed out of bed as well, turning back for a moment to brush his lips across Syusuke's.

"Coming?" Syusuke simply smiled and grabbed Ryoma's pillow to cuddle. Ryoma shook his head fondly, "We'll be back in a bit."

They quickly changed into their gear and grabbed their tennis bags, leaving the room as quietly as possible. On their way out onto the courts, they passed through the lobby and Ryoma looked up at the large clock on the wall – two thirty in the morning. He sighed at the thought of another sleepless night. As he watched Sanada walk ahead of him towards the indoor training area though, he couldn't think of a better way to spend it. Once inside, out of the cool night air, Ryoma shrugged out of his jacket and set his bag on a nearby bench. He pulled out his red racket, the one he used mostly for practice these days, and stepped out onto one of the courts as Sanada turned on the lights.

"So, what are you worried about?" He asked as Sanada wheeled over a basket of balls to sit beside the court.

Sanada pocketed two of the balls and tossed a third one up and down as he stepped up to his serving position. "Tooyama was able to keep up with Yukimura back then until the yips took his senses," Sanada said quietly, "Now, he's advanced even more and he would probably be able to give Yukimura a harder time. I also heard that you've never gotten a point on him."

Ryoma stared at Sanada over the net, wondering how he was supposed to respond to his statements; nothing he could say would be comforting in the slightest. How was he supposed to comfort someone when even he wasn't sure about their opponent? He collected his thoughts as Sanada continuously bounced the ball against the ground, not serving.

"It's true that I've never gotten a point against Tooyama," He said slowly, trying to choose his words carefully. "However, I've also never played against him but the once, in a one-point match. I will say that I played all out against him from the very start and it took over forty minutes to end it in a tie because we broke the ball. It was when playing against Tooyama that I figured out my Samurai Drive, by accident."

Sanada listened quietly, not looking up from under his cap.

"I returned his mountain smash, and the ball split in half after hitting the net chord. At the end, one half of the ball was on each side of the court. If the ball hadn't hit the chord or if I had figured out the Drive before that, it would have been my point." He said and Sanada finally looked up at him. Ryoma grinned, "I would have beaten him if we had been able to continue playing."

When Sanada continued looking at him in that strange way Ryoma sighed as his grin sharpened into a smirk, "You can beat him, Sanada." The _pok_ ing of the ball against the ground stopped as Sanada smiled for a split second, so quickly that Ryoma would have missed it if he had blinked, before he tossed the ball into the air and – _thwack_ – sent it flying across the net. It was so sudden that Ryoma had to hop back a few feet to return it and they fell into the rhythm of the game.

Later that night, at nearly five in the morning, they wandered back into their room and immediately fell into their beds. He sighed happily when Syusuke's arms wrapped around him as he began to doze off. He could hear Sanada's snoring through the haze as he fell asleep to the thoughts of their match and dreamed of tennis balls and rackets.

* * *

Ryoma leaned back on his heels with blood racing through his veins. He could hear his heart, beating frantically and excitedly as he watched Syusuke play. The tensai was playing like his normal self, stringing his opponent along until he turned the match around at the last minute. This was one of Ryoma's favorite sides of his boyfriend; when Syusuke lost himself to the manipulation of the match. It was something Ryoma never tired of seeing.

The first time that Ryoma had played Syusuke it had been, for the lack of a better word, intense. Yet even a word so strong couldn't hold a candle to the feeling that had rushed through his body with every beat of his heart. There was only one way that he could describe it when asked. _When it started raining, he couldn't stop._ Despite understanding the risk of injury and their coach yelling that they could play on another sunny day, they kept chasing that feeling; a thrill unlike any other.

It had been what attracted him to Syusuke for the first time; what made him notice Syusuke. Until that point, Syusuke had just been a blip on his radar – a teammate. After that day, standing in the rain at the forced end of their match, Ryoma could think of nothing and no one else. He had to play him again. As it turned out, time passed in the kind of way that they danced around one another like a binary star. Tezuka went to Germany, they won the Kantou regionals, he played the U.S. Open, Seigaku won the nationals, and even more time passed.

Ryoma headed off to America again for more training and another tournament, and then he was in Japan again with Syusuke saying, "We're all here. Welcome back." As much as he gravitated towards Syusuke as he always seemed to do, the curiosity of the U-17 camp took precedence and once more they danced. He was evicted from the camp and spent weeks up on that mountain top, and more time passed. They returned to the camp, though it didn't last long as he stepped in to protect Tokugawa. At the end of that day, Ryoga had been waiting for him and off they were to America.

After so much time had passed, Ryoma had almost forgotten the dance; until he came back to Japan for high school. Of course Syusuke had been waiting and when they saw each other at tennis practice that first day, his sempai asked for what he had been wanting for a long time – to play again. This time the rain didn't interrupt them and Ryoma was given a strong dose of what he craved. It was the first time he had ever seen Syusuke play all out. He lost 6-0, game and match. A fire had been lit under him that day and he vowed that much like Tezuka, he would overcome Syusuke.

There was a loud _clang_ as the ball Syusuke served hit the fence in front of him and Ryoma was broken out of his thoughts. "Play with me after this, Ryoma." Syusuke said and Ryoma nodded. One day soon, he would…

With a jerk, Ryoma woke up to find Syusuke above him, nudging him gently. He was tangled up in the blankets and Syusuke was leaning over him, dressed in his tennis gear. It had been a dream, he realized. Before Syusuke could pull back, Ryoma leaned up and slanted their lips together. There was an awkward cough from somewhere in the room and Ryoma pulled back. Syusuke blinked at him, eyes open with a small smile.

"You haven't kissed me like that it a while. What's the occasion?" His boyfriend gave him a familiar teasing look that Ryoma couldn't help to find endearing. If he hadn't realized that Sanada was standing somewhere out of sight, Ryoma would have kissed the smirk off his lips.

"No reason." He could tell that Syusuke didn't believe him, but he still leaned away and stood from the edge of the bed.

Syusuke chuckled, "If you say so. It's time to get ready. Sanada's match is soon." As his boyfriend stepped away from the bed, Ryoma found Sanada to be sitting at the desk chair tying his shoes and determinedly not looking at them. "It seems whatever you did last night has him in high spirits." It was said in an unnecessarily suggestive tone and Ryoma sighed when Sanada jerked his cap further down to cover his face.

Trust Syusuke to make the small bridge of friendship he had built with Sanada last night as awkward as possible.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 _Thwack_.

Ryoma sat on the bench below Syusuke's, between his legs. He lounged comfortably, even going so far as to lay his head over on the tensai's thigh. The court in front of him was a flurry of motion, grunts, and yells. As much as Tooyama gave, Sanada returned tenfold.

 _Pok_.

"This is a good match," Syusuke muttered under his breath and when Ryoma glanced up, the man's eyes were open as he watched the match. Ryoma nodded in agreement. It _was_ a good match. He looked back to the court when Tooyama gave a shout of surprise.

 _Clang_.

The ball bounced back to the court line from where it had made contact with the fence. "Match point," Oishi called from his place as score keeper. Ryoma sighed with a smirk as he met Yukimura's eyes from across the court. He was all too agreeable to admitting he had been wrong this time. The buchou gave his own smile that seemed to brighten his eyes and Ryoma looked away. When the demigod smiled at him like that it made his stomach do funny flops.

 _Thwack_. _Pok_. _Clang_.

"Game and Match, Sanada, 6 games to 4." Oishi announced.

Tooyama whined loudly, but he didn't stomp his foot and throw a fit like Ryoma had witnessed him do in the past. The kid marched up to the net with a grin. "Aw, guess I won't get to play Koshimae this time," He said as he shook Sanada's hand.

From the sidelines near Yukimura, Shiraishi narrowed his eyes at his kouhai, "Kin-chan, who says he'll be playing Echizen, ne?" The redhead flinched and, Ryoma noticed, bit his tongue; but Sanada did not.

"I will be." Sanada said shortly before walking off the court, leaving the stunned Shitenhoji buchou in his wake.

The knee he was leaning against nudged him as Syusuke chuckled, "Someone has faith in you."

Ryoma nodded in a pleased way, "I see that." Shiraishi glanced his way with a smirk that promised a difficult match and he felt his blood begin to rush through his veins; adrenaline lancing under his skin. "Watch me crush the man you lost to?" He asked even though he knew that Syusuke would.

"My champion," Syusuke said with a smile that made Ryoma smile in return.

"Always." He said and at that Syusuke laughed, drawing the attention of several players nearby. Ryoma became amused when a few of them went white, as usually a laughing Syusuke didn't bode well for anyone involved.

"Well isn't this cute?" The two of them glanced down to find Atobe walking up the bleachers with Tezuka by his side, "You better get on the court brat. We'll keep your lover company." Tezuka straightened his glasses and Ryoma rolled his eyes.

"Time?" He asked as he stood, grabbing his silver racket from his bag as he went.

While Atobe glanced at his watch, Syusuke leaned back onto his hands thoughtfully. "Forty minutes," He said with his lips pressed in a firm line and Ryoma nodded in consideration.

"Let's aim for thirty five then." He said and before he could walk down the stairs, Syusuke pulled him down to peck his lips.

"Win for me," Syusuke murmured and he rolled his eyes again.

"Nobody beats me in tennis." Ryoma answered, knowing that Syusuke would get the joke; he wasn't disappointed as an almost mad grin swept Syusuke's features.

Atobe looked confused, though he didn't say anything and Tezuka sighed as if he knew what they were talking about. Ryoma knew different. "Saa," Syusuke said with a wide open glance, "We'll see."

With the knowledge that Syusuke would be watching and that he had faith that Ryoma would win, he made his way down the bleachers and onto the court; leaving Atobe and Tezuka to sit on either side of his boyfriend. Shiraishi was waiting for him on his own side of the court. "Let's have a good match, Echizen." He said with a smile, as if he knew something that Ryoma didn't.

Ryoma held back a smirk, instead giving the man a scowling frown. "I had thought I'd play Tooyama, but it seems that Sanada had this strange energy today." From the sidelines, he could see that Syusuke would be smirking and that Sanada was pulling his cap down over his face again. "I had prepared a plan and everything," He paused, waiting for a curious look to flash through Shiraishi's eyes, "I guess I'll just have to crush you with it instead."

The fire that he remembered being in Shiraishi's eyes when he had played Syusuke all those years ago appeared and Ryoma pulled his headphones out of his pocket. There were gasps from around the court and he could swear that Yukimura was faking a yawn to hide his grin. He took out his cellphone and plugged them in; pressing play once he made sure his song was on repeat and after letting the music flow through the earbuds for a moment so that the crowd could hear, put them in his ears.

It wasn't like when he had originally practiced and planned, as he had discovered that fast upbeat songs did bad things to his sense of balance and coordination. A soft slow calming song played through the tiny speakers, blocking out all of the sound around him. Shiraishi watched him carefully, his guard thrown up as he realized that Ryoma was serious.

The first verse of the song floated and without bouncing the ball to warm up, he steadied his feet and tossed the ball into the air; twice as high as he normally did. His eyes narrowed as they followed the ball. When it descended into position he did a quick twist, spinning his entire body around gracefully, and he hit the ball with a firm last second twist of his wrist. The ball soared through the air like a sinking stone. It fell in the court just over the net where Shiraishi had run to meet it.

Much like Ryoma's previous movements, the ball did a little twirl around the clay surface before bouncing a circle around Shiraishi and hopping back across the net to Ryoma. Shiraishi was unable to process everything for a moment. When he finally caught up, he glared over the net.

"Uh, 15-love." Oishi said with a stuttered breath.

Ryoma could hear the roaring of the crowd even through the music then as everyone tried to figure out what he had just done. An unfailing smirk lifted the corners of his mouth as he settled into serving position once more. "Around the World," He said before going through the motions of the serve for the second time.

Shiraishi was again unable to catch up with the path the ball took and he spun around after it much to the crowd's, and Ryoma's, amusement, "Aw, you did your own little twirl." Shiraishi growled as the song in Ryoma's ears started over and he fell into step with his third serve. The result was the same and with his fourth serve he took the first game.

"1 game to love! Switch court!"

On his way passed Shiraishi he simply smirked, much to the annoyance of the Shitenhoji buchou. As he prepared himself to receive the serve, he was pleased when Shiraishi went into the familiar dance that Tooyama had pulled before serving the day before. Despite being prepared, the ball flew towards his face; knocking off his cap and exiting the court through the fence.

"15 to love!"

Ryoma's eyes widened in excitement as Shiraishi returned the smirk, " _My_ Sprinkler is much stronger." _So that's what it was called_ , Ryoma realized as he bent his knees and held his racket tightly in his left hand; ignoring his hat that had been tossed back over the fence.

At the lack of reaction, Shiraishi mumbled something to himself before serving again. Ryoma was ready this time and hopped through the air to the left, brought his racket back and _Thwack_ the ball went flying across the clay, hitting the ground under Shiraishi's feet and hitting the far fence with a _clang_.

"15 all!"

Disbelieving eyes found Ryoma and his smirk widened at the taller man. " _I_ am much stronger," He said shortly, like Sanada.

Anger seemed to light within Shiraishi and Ryoma readied himself. This match looked like it was going to take longer than forty minutes. He sighed with a smile that only tennis could bring out as he returned the ball and a rally began. Somewhere in the distance, there was a loud rumbling boom and Ryoma sliced the returned ball into a zero shiki drop much to Shiraishi's surprise.

"15-30!"

Ryoma looked up above the courts to see dark rolling clouds drifting in from over the mountains. Light flashed within them and he could see the fogged sheets of rain over the trees. They probably had less than fifteen minutes before the storm hit. A rush of an emotion that he only felt with Syusuke ran through his body and his thoughts narrowed on one thought.

"I apologize, Shiraishi," Ryoma called as he looked to Syusuke, who had straightened up in his seat and was staring at him through the fence with raging eyes. He took out his headphones and wrapped them around his phone, putting them both into his pocket. Shiraishi paused mid-serve as a chill ran up Ryoma's spine, "I'm going to have to wrap this up."

The crowd around them began to murmur in surprise. A dark look entered Shiraishi's eyes, wiping away the curiosity at Ryoma's sudden change of mood. With a shout, he served and they were pulled into the thicket of the match once more.

* * *

Keigo watched in fascination as Ryoma, true to his word, finished off the match in less than ten minutes after his proclamation. He looked down at his watch, "Twenty five minutes." Beside him, Fuji stood up with eyes full of an emotion that he didn't recognize and a smile on his lips that made him bite his tongue.

"I expected no less." Fuji stated plainly as he walked away and down the bleachers to meet Ryoma at the bottom. Just as he reached the younger man, the rain hit with a loud boom over head in a steady downpour. The entire court erupted in a flurry of movement as everyone raced inside to escape the storm, but Keigo sat and watched with narrowed eyes as Fuji swept Ryoma into a kiss.

It was heated, a kind of kiss that Keigo had yet to experience and once again he felt a kind of yearning that he didn't fully understand. Ryoma's arms came up around Fuji's neck, fingers running through his wet hair as Fuji pulled Ryoma closer by the waist. For long moments, despite the lightening, they stood there leisurely kissing as if they had all day to be nowhere.

Another thundering boom broke Keigo from his thoughts and he stood from his place on the bleachers, absolutely soaked through. "You'll want to get inside before you get struck!" He called to the two and took a moment of pleasure in seeing Ryoma jump in shock and Syusuke glance up at him with telling eyes.

"Come on then!" Syusuke called back with an expression that Keigo had difficulty decoding, but he walked down the bleachers to join them. "The rain is something isn't it?" The tensai asked as Ryoma watched him with an amused smile.

Keigo put his hands in his pockets as he reached them, lest he do something he'd regret later. "It's…" He started as he reached them, "…something." The pair seemed to give him a knowing look before Ryoma took Syusuke's hand and began leading him towards the dorms. Before they could make it out of reach Syusuke reached back and looped his arm through Keigo's, pulling him along. His expression must have belayed his shock when Syusuke didn't let go once he began walking.

"We wouldn't want you to get lost, right Ryoma?" Syusuke asked and Ryoma looked back at the scene.

He smiled in a way that sent heat searing under Keigo's skin, "Never."

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

When the sun rose the next morning, Keigo rolled himself out of his bed and onto the carpeted floor. It dug into his knees, almost like the grit of sand. The minutes crept by as he kneeled there silently watching the two forms piled under covers and sheets in the bed opposite of his own. He could only see the top of Ryoma's hair, spilling out across the pillow and Syusuke's sleep slacken face from where he held Ryoma close.

The light of the sun crawled across the carpet and furniture, chasing away the shadows, as he continued to watch them. On the day that they had arrived at the tennis club, it had felt like a breath of fresh air when he saw Ryoma. It had been years; and the years had been kind to him. Then like the feeling of having the rug ripped out from under him, it had been painfully revealed that he had a lover; none other than Syusuke.

It wasn't that surprising when he thought about it in retrospect. Syusuke was his sempai, talented at tennis, and they saw each other every day. That was all it took to start a relationship and they must have had several other things in common, because they had kept it a secret for nearly three years and they were still going strong. Keigo wondered how he hadn't caught even the slightest sign of it before. However, he had only seen Syusuke a few times since back then.

When the light cascaded over the two, it illuminated them in a way that made Keigo's breath catch in his throat. Before either of them could be disturbed by the extra warmth of the sunlight though, he stood and gathered his things for the shower. Keigo looked around the room one last time and as he was closing the bathroom door behind him he found Syusuke watching him.

With a nod of greeting, he shut the door with a click trying to even his breathing. He stepped in the shower after gauging the water temperature and hissed when it was still a bit too warm. Even so, he left it alone and allowed his skin to flush red at the excess heat. The water was nice. A sigh escaped his lips as he leaned his forehead against the damp tile, the water streaming over his back.

His eyes lost focus as he lost himself to his thoughts once more. In more ways than one, he was attracted to Ryoma – and Syusuke. It was confusing and he didn't know what he should do with the information. The day before when he had been led into the dorms and out of the rain by the duo, it had felt nice being included in their world if only for a short moment. Their world filled with rain, riddles, sarcasm, and tennis.

All of his conflicted feelings had disappeared the moment he was brought into their bubble for that short period of time, before he was left in the foyer when Syusuke released his arm with a look that he had difficulty reading. It seemed that he was struggling with that the most; the looks that they would give him or the others sometimes. That confused him as well – the fact that somehow Yukimura, Tezuka, and Sanada were involved in this – whatever this was. He bumped his forehead against the tile harshly. He was going mad…he just knew it.

* * *

After a day full of matches that Ryoma hadn't found at all surprising or new, he wandered through the halls of the facility dressed down in comfortable clothes. It was the first time since arriving that he'd had the chance to pull out his sweats and a Henley. Earlier, Syusuke had been pulled aside by Yukimura and then dragged away with Shiraishi to see how their plants were doing. Ryoma had let him go, quickly getting out of dodge as he disappeared into the interior of the club.

He had been walking for a while when he heard a loud clang and a curse. Following the noise, he turned left through the next doorway and found himself in the kitchens. It was mostly empty, as lunch was over and it wasn't time to cook dinner yet, except for the familiar stature of the Hyotei captain. "Monkey king?" Ryoma asked with a growing smirk.

The man startled and dropped the sauce pan he was holding for what seemed to be the second time if his cursing was anything to go by. "Brat, do not do that." Atobe complained and Ryoma raised an eyebrow when the man didn't even bother looking his way. Instead he went about collecting the pan and tossing it into one of the sinks.

"What are you doing in the kitchens?" Ryoma sat himself into a nearby bar stool, next to the counter on which Atobe had gathered different ingredients, "Are you cooking?" He leaned his head on his crossed arms as he stated the obvious.

When Atobe had finished cleaning the pot of germs, he placed it onto one of the stove burners beside Ryoma. "Yes, I am cooking." He answered blandly and Ryoma sighed. This wasn't as amusing as he thought it would be.

"Are you any good? What are you making?" He prodded, watching for the tick of annoyance on Atobe's brow.

It didn't come as Atobe took the jug of water and poured some into the pan without measuring. "Apple Dumplings," He said as he dumped a premeasured bowl of sugar and cinnamon in with the water. Ryoma watched as he wandered the kitchen looking for something until he pulled a spoon out of one of the drawers.

Ryoma sighed again when it became quickly apparent that Atobe was too distracted to get a proper rise out of. He sat up and leaned with his elbows on the counter. "Is there anything I can help with?" He wondered and Atobe finally looked up from where he was stirring the mixture in the pot.

"You know how to peel and slice up an apple?" Atobe asked with a raised eyebrow and Ryoma found himself slightly relieved. This was the Atobe he was used to.

"Of course," He said as he took the paring knife and two granny smith apples across from him. They worked in silence and when Ryoma had just finished rinsing off the apple slices, Atobe waved him over.

"I'll show you how to do the next part." He said and Ryoma nodded as Atobe took two cans of crescent rolls, popping them open. "You get one of the rolls, place the apple at the point and then roll it up inside of the dough. Make sure it's completely encased and then place it in the pan." Ryoma mimicked wrapping the apples the way that Atobe demonstrated.

After each roll that he finished, he laid it in the rectangle cake pan until they had made two neat rows. "What now?" He asked leaning over the counter as Atobe pulled the sauce off the burner.

"Now, you evenly coat the rolls evenly with the sugar glaze," Atobe explained, "It will harden slightly and then you pour just a little bit of ginger ale over them, gently so that you don't make dents in the glaze." He handed Ryoma a bottle of ginger ale and finished layering on the sauce. When he was done he motioned for Ryoma to pour on the soda and as instructed, very gently poured a little bit on each roll, "That's good."

Ryoma put the cap back onto the bottle and Atobe took the pan of dumplings to put into the oven. "You've made these before," Ryoma stated, "You didn't even follow a recipe."

After Atobe set the timer he sat onto one of the stools beside Ryoma, "I did, it's just up here." He tapped his temple, leaning forward onto his elbows as well. "What are you doing in here?"

A smirk grew on his lips once again. He had Atobe's full attention now. "I could as you the same thing," He goaded and as expected the man's forehead furrowed in annoyance.

"What does it look like I'm doing here?" Atobe snarked and Ryoma's smirk melted into a small smile.

"Well, it looks to me like you're playing the part of house wife," He teased, but before Atobe could find offense he continued, "Though it smells awful good, so I really can't complain and I shouldn't be one to talk since I know how to cook too."

Atobe's eyes watched him for a moment too long before a smile stretched across his lips and he repeated, "What are you doing down here?"

"Syusuke was dragged off by Yukimura and I had nothing better to do." Ryoma said as he laid his head back down onto his arms, "I was going to nap but we know how well that goes when I'm alone."

Atobe nodded like he understood and Ryoma wondered what the man was really thinking. "He'll be around to find you soon enough I'm sure. You have been sleeping well, right?" Ryoma nodded. "You can nap here."

Shock coursed through him for a moment before Ryoma caught up, "Where?" He looked around the room as if to accentuate the point that they were in a kitchen and Atobe shoved him lightly.

"There, brat." He said motioning to point out that Ryoma was already half laying across the counter. Ryoma just sat there for a moment, debating the suggestion.

"Syusuke still isn't here." Ryoma said in a way that even he could tell was annoyed and Atobe smirked. It was silent between them for a bit as Ryoma watched the timer count down the minutes. "I didn't know that you could cook," He said suddenly, looking Atobe's way.

"We've only been around each other less than ten times for short amounts of time," Atobe said as something akin to a grimace crossed his features, "I'm not surprised."

For a moment Ryoma contemplated that answer before smiling, "What else don't I know?" The look Atobe graced him with confused him, but the man seemed to recover and shift a look of indifference on in its place.

"I'll tell you something if you tell me something," Atobe said as he glanced at the timer, "For the next three minutes and then we'll eat."

Ryoma smirked with a nod, "You first."

Atobe grinned, "I'm a dog person." Ryoma groaned with a laugh.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The way that the shadows of late afternoon stretched across the courts drew Ryoma's attention as he walked with Atobe on their quest to find Syusuke. After ten minutes of twenty questions Ryoma had drifted off to sleep, leaving Atobe to his thoughts while the apple dumplings finished cooking; much to Ryoma's confusion and shock. It was only after he had been woken, handed a small bowl of the treat, and then lead out of the kitchens after cleaning up that he realized that Syusuke had never come around. They had already checked the common room, their room, and Yukimura's room.

All they had found was Tezuka who had been reading one of those English historical novels that he liked in Yukimura's room, to which Ryoma had raised an eyebrow; he hadn't know who his captain's roommate was. Now they were wandering around the courts with no real direction. Every so often they'd pass one of the other players and Atobe would ask them coolly if they had seen Syusuke.

The most common answer being, "Sorry, no." Ryoma sighed as Aoi walked away from them with a friendly wave after having given them such an answer. "At this rate brat we'll be spending the night alone," Atobe said and Ryoma looked up at him in confusion.

"Tonight is my room with Sanada." He said simply and watched as the words seemed to rattle Atobe before he shot him a cool glance.

"Right, my mistake." Atobe walked ahead and Ryoma had to split a couple steps to catch up with him again. They continued their walk in silence until they reached the path that led to the dirt courts at the top of the mountain. "You and Fuji went to the top didn't you?" The taller man asked and Ryoma nodded.

"It was nice up there," Ryoma explained before he glanced around their surroundings, "Want to go see them? Syusuke's obviously off having fun somewhere." Atobe watched him for a moment, long enough that Ryoma began to sway back and forth on his feet unconsciously. Then the man nodded and they began up the trail.

As they walked Ryoma noted that the trail was even more beautiful in the late afternoon. The sun filtered through the canopy of trees above them, the leaves a rainbow of fall colors. It was cool beneath the shade as they walked up the makeshift stairs that the camp had obviously made; wooden plank outlines filled with dirt and stones. They didn't race up the incline like he had previously with Syusuke and he began noticing things that he had rushed by before.

"Look at that," Ryoma pointed through a gap in the trees, down a small path that split from the main one. Down a small decline steam rose through the foliage and Ryoma cut to the right. Atobe followed him closely and they stepped up onto an outcropping of flat rocks that surrounded a natural hot spring. "There's not even a sign pointing it out. I wish I had known, I would have brought swim gear."

"It's strange to be out in the open like this without proper care, it's probably germ infested from animals." Atobe pointed out and Ryoma hummed.

"The heat would disinfect it though," He bent down and dipped the tips of his fingers into the water, sighing at the warmth it emitted. A wicked idea flashed through his mind and before he could second guess it, he cupped his hand and flung a handful of water at Atobe. The man gave a surprised shout at the sudden heat and wetness that seeped into his shirt and pants.

A smirk crossed Atobe's features and Ryoma backed up away from the spring, "If you wanted to take a dip with me that bad, all you had to do was say so." Before Atobe was able to step forward, Ryoma turned and darted away from him with a grin. He rushed through the forest; jumping over roots, ducking under branches and laughing when he heard Atobe chasing after him with teasing shouts. He never noticed that they were running further away from the trail.

* * *

Syusuke stepped out of the indoor courts with Yukimura and Sanada. "Saa, I didn't know that you could synchronize." He said with a small smile at the way that Sanada pulled his cap further down his face. It reminded him a lot of Ryoma.

"There was never a need for us to play doubles," Yukimura said with his own smile. He nudged Sanada lightly, "We also didn't want to discourage our doubles players from playing." They walked to where there was a group gathered around one of the courts to watch someone play a practice match. Syusuke took note that it was Momoshiro and Oshitari. Yukimura crossed his arms, "What is with those two?"

"They've been rivals since they played during the Kanto finals before the Nationals when we were fourteen." Syusuke explained as the crowd cleared a bit so that the three of them could stand at the fence. There was a tap on his shoulder and Syusuke glanced to the side to find Aoi smiling at him almost nervously, "Hello, Aoi-san."

Aoi chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I just wanted to tell you that Echizen-san was looking for you just a bit ago." Syusuke opened his eyes at that as his smile tensed. Usually when Ryoma came looking for him, something was wrong.

"Do you know where he went?" He asked and watched as Aoi began to shift uncomfortably. That meant no. "It's alright, I'll just call him." Syusuke said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Is something wrong Fuji?" Sanada asked as Syusuke went into his contacts and hit Ryoma's name.

"I don't know yet." He said as he put the phone to his ear expecting to hear it ring and frowning when it went straight to voicemail. "I need to go find Ryoma."

"We'll come with you." Yukimura said when Syusuke made to walk away, "He's not answering?"

"His phone is either dead or has no service," Syusuke said and he motioned around the area, "Which isn't surprising considering we're in the mountains." He stood still for a moment as he closed his eyes and thought. Ryoma didn't usually let his phone get so low on battery that it died. That meant there was a high percentage of Ryoma being somewhere that the service for his phone was low.

The only places that Syusuke knew that had that bad of service was the indoor courts and...

Syusuke turned to look down between the courts to the path that lead to the top of the mountain. He immediately began running up the path and into the trees that covered the trail with Yukimura and Sanada hot on his heels. "Where are you going? We should check the facility first." Sanada called and Syusuke laughed.

"No, he's up the mountain," He said as he continued up the trail being careful to not slip on any of the stone and mud steps, "By himself, dammit." As the sun began its decent below the horizon, they raced up the trail to the top of the mountain.

* * *

Ryoma cackled as Atobe grabbed him from behind, swinging him around to face him. "Just accept it brat," Atobe said with a smirk that sent shivers racing up Ryoma's spine. He only struggled a little until he realized that Atobe had a vice grip on his pullover, to which he leaned into the man's shoulder and heaved a breath. It had been quite a run.

Atobe was breathing in deeply above his head as they stood in the fading light of the surrounding forest and Ryoma sighed. "I'm running solely on sugar covered biscuits, I would have outrun you if we'd eaten proper food," He muttered, not wanting to let Atobe have the last laugh.

"If I had any more energy, I'd drag you kicking and screaming to throw you into the hot spring." The threat was empty and Ryoma chuckled against the smooth fabric of Atobe's shirt. It was a light purple striped button up. Ryoma snorted. Trust Atobe to bring fashionable items on a training trip.

"I'm tired now," Ryoma said as he finally stepped out of Atobe's grasp with a sigh, "Let's go back. We can come up to the top of the mountain tomorrow with our gear."

Atobe nodded with his hands on his hips, "Alright." It was only then as they glanced around their surroundings that Ryoma realized that they were in the middle of a patch of forest that he didn't recognize.

"Which way?" He asked and Atobe pinched his lips together as he tried to make out a sense of direction through the dark haze that had settled between the trees. The sun must have set behind the mountains.

When Atobe didn't immediately answer, Ryoma stepped forward and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. Only after another moment of looking around through the shadowed foliage did Atobe's face melt into a look of muted concern, "I don't know."

Ryoma's eyes widened slightly as he too began to observe the blended forest with a sense of increasing panic. He noted that he could barely see through the dimness with a frown. With the sun setting it would be dark within the hour; and then what? He looked back up at Atobe as the darkness seemed to close in on them, "What do we do?"

Atobe looked down at him with an expression that mimicked how sick he felt with his features shadowed, "I don't know."

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Genichirou watched silently as Fuji stood over a table with a splayed out map of the immediate mountain area with several forest rangers. His eyes were open and wild. It had been almost twenty four hours since discovering that Echizen was missing. At the time, Fuji had been deathly calm and collected – calling in forest rangers and the police to set up a search party. That was until they had discovered upon arriving back at the camp from their trip up the mountain trail that Atobe was also missing.

Fuji had begun to cry – screaming and hysterical. It had taken Tezuka stepping in to take the tensai into his arms before Fuji settled down enough to be of some help in the search. Police had brought in search dogs and Fuji had quickly provided worn clothing from both Echizen and Atobe, as he was the only one with a room key. Even thinking back to how this had all come about set confusion and worry deep in his veins. He wanted to know why they had veered off the trail.

Beside him Seiichi sighed, standing with his arms crossed and a worried glint to his gaze. "We'll find them," He said firmly and Seiichi turned to him with pursed lips.

"It's been a full day Gen," Seiichi said with a deepening frown, "and it's beginning to get dark again. We know how cold it gets up here at night and what the odds are of finding people lost in the forest after the first twenty four hours."

A sharp twang of worry tightened in his throat and Genichirou nodded solemnly. "We'll find them," He said again with a conviction that startled even him; but Seiichi put a hand on his shoulder with a grateful smile.

It wavered slightly before Seiichi glanced back over to the table where Tezuka was rubbing a soothing hand up and down Fuji's back as the rangers pointed out the most likely locations that Echizen and Atobe could have wandered to. "Will we find them soon enough?"

Dread rushed through his stomach in a sickening way as he glanced up at the clock on the foyer wall. It had been officially twenty six hours. He didn't want to think about it. Genichirou took Seiichi's elbow and pulled him forward to the table beside Tezuka and Fuji. At their sudden presence Fuji looked away from the map with ever fearful eyes and Genichirou nodded to him, "We will find them."

Fuji's lips tightened into a thin line as he took a deep shuddering breath, to which Tezuka put an arm around his shoulders. Before Genichirou could process what was happening Fuji had stepped forward to wrap his arms around his waist and all he could do was wrap his own arms around the smaller man's shoulders in support. "Thank you Sanada," Fuji said softly before stepping back and looking at the head forest ranger, "We start searching now."

"Sir, we haven't set up a perimeter yet…" The man tried to protest but the tensai's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Get everyone flashlights and get the dogs ready. We start now." Fuji's tone left no room for argument and the man nodded quickly before going to meet the demands. When he saw that his orders were being followed Fuji looked back at him, "Will you be coming?"

Seiichi, who had been observing the entire time, stepped up with a firm nod, "We'll be right there beside you. They can't have gone far." Fuji nodded gratefully and the entire room erupted into a flurry of motion as other players began to step forward to take the flashlights offered by the forest rangers.

As a plan and instructions were shouted out to the searchers, all the noise faded into a low hum in Genichirou's ears as he shoved off the feeling of loss that he had been left with when Fuji had slipped out of his arms. He walked in stride with Seiichi as they followed the lead of the forest rangers. At the entrance to the mountain trail, a ranger took the clothing that belonged to Echizen and Atobe putting it under the dog's noses.

Everyone, separated into teams of four, stood anxiously watching – waiting. Then startlingly loud one of the hounds let out a shattered howl, followed by another and another and off they took up the trail. He watched as Fuji grabbed Tezuka's hand tightly, hesitating, before taking a deep breath and they took off at a run after them.

Genichirou followed closely behind Seiichi who raced after the two. The lights flickered through the trees, interrupted by their wide trunks and low hanging branches on either side. Above them the last light of day was blocked out by the thick canopy of leaves and for the first time the situation really hit Genichirou.

This was the condition that Atobe and Echizen found themselves in last night; if they were even together. The light of day slowly darkening into shadows cast by the forest and surrounded by a cold dim nothing. Sending up a quick prayer to whoever might be listening, he hoped they found them in time.

So far up the trail there was a shout and he followed the sound off the trail onto a smaller path. He came to a halting stop behind Fuji at the sight of a hot spring, steam lapping at their already heated skin from the run. "Did either of you know this was here?" Fuji asked as he turned around to look at him.

"No. We never diverted from the path before. But they've cleared off the sides of the path earlier this summer," Seiichi said in explanation and Fuji nodded.

"Ryoma must have seen the steam from the path then," He strained out a chuckle, "He loves hot springs." Fuji leaned further into Tezuka. Genichirou reached forward when he saw the smaller man's shoulders begin to shake without hesitation. A choked sob broke from Fuji's lips and Seiichi's hand appeared on top of his to stop him.

A sharp bark from one of the hounds broke him from the trance he had been under and without a glance Seiichi's way, he ran after the rangers. He could hear Fuji right on his heels and knew that they were following. They were soon in a small clearing and the dogs stopped, circling around the clearing and sniffing along the ground. One went up a tree a little before turning to the left and walking a circle around the clearing again.

They made Genichirou dizzy. Fuji stood close by with a disappointed look on his face, drying tear streaks down his cheeks. Just when he thought that the dogs wouldn't pick up the trail again, that it could have possibly rained the night before in that area, there was a soft distant shout.

"Everyone quiet!" Genichirou yelled as he strained to hear if he had been imagining things. One of the dogs yelped and he turned to the ranger handling it, "Shut that dog up. Listen!" He closed his eyes listening carefully. Fuji stepped closer to him in an unintentional way and he put an arm around his shoulder, "Listen." He whispered.

There was a moment so silent that Genichirou would have thought they had exited the world and entered space. "Help!" The shout came from directly in front of him and Genichirou took Fuji's hand, rushing forward.

"This way!" He shouted as everyone raced forward around them, the search party flashing their lights this way and that in an attempt to see either of the two lost players. "Echizen!" He yelled loudly.

"Atobe!" Fuji nearly screamed into the darkness ahead of them, "Ryoma!"

"Boya!" Seiichi called from his other side as they carefully made their way through the thickening brush.

"Quiet," Tezuka said from just behind, "The voices of the lost have been overwhelmed by search parties before. Give pauses between your calls! Don't let your guard down!" His voice was tight in a way that Genichirou had never heard before but he listened.

Seiichi suddenly halted in his steps and called to the search party, "Everyone stop!" There was a quiet shuffling as the line of searchers stopped at the request, "Why do I hear rushing water?"

A ranger walked up beside them, holding out a map and pointing a flashlight down at it. "There is a river just a bit further from here." He said and a spike of fear hit Genichirou like an oncoming train.

"Echizen!" He shouted louder than he had before and just seconds later a call came back.

"We fell in the river! Help us!" The words were raspy and broken up as if – Sanada felt the blood drain from his face – as if their body were wracking.

Before anyone could react Fuji ran through the trees in front of them and out of sight. "Fuji!" Tezuka yelled as he with an accompanying ranger went after him.

"It's below freezing Genichirou!" Seiichi said in a tone that belayed how he felt and together they ran through the wall of brush.

When they ducked under a low hanging branch, they found a group of people surrounding something on the ground and he could see the rushing water of the river just passed them. He shouldered their way through the crowd to where Fuji was stripping down and Tezuka was helping a soaked, pale, and shaking Echizen out of his clothes.

"Seiichi, strip!" He ordered as he stepped forward to where Atobe was brushing off the hands of a ranger who was trying to take off the man's clothes.

"This is not proper and I will be fine," Atobe complained and Sanada pushed the ranger out of the way. He got down on his knees next to Atobe with a frown that was reserved for serious matters and he looked into the shivering man's eyes.

"If you do not strip and allow us to get your body temperature up, you will suffer hypothermia and die." Sanada said as he reached forward and ripped the shirt Atobe wore apart in the front, buttons flying everywhere. The man became strangely compliant after that and soon he was down to his boxers, "Lay back. Fuji, bring Echizen here."

With a lot of care, they were able to lay the two shivering bodies next to one another. Fuji huddled in close on Echizen's side and Seiichi on Atobe's. He met Tezuka's eyes and they nodded, before stripping down to their boxers as well. They joined the pile as one of the rangers unfolded a couple of emergency blankets. The blankets were tucked over them as they clung to one another.

The sounds of the rangers faded into background noise. Genichirou barely noted when the police and then paramedics arrived on scene. All he could focus on was that he was wrapped up with five other young men that he had varying types of feelings for; some that he didn't even understand.

In those moments of trying to stem their raging panic all he could hear were Fuji's muttered words from where he held Echizen close and reached even further to bring Atobe closer as well. The tensai's fingers ran through Atobe's hair as his eyes darted back and forth between the two. "I'm never losing you again," He muttered to Echizen before looking into Atobe's eyes, "I'm never losing either of you again."

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

When Ryoma woke up, the first thing that filtered through his consciousness was the soft murmurs of conversation from not too far away. He shifted slightly in an effort to shed himself of whatever blankets he was under. It was stifling and it was a tad difficult to breathe. However, he quickly discovered that he wasn't able to reach the blanket. He cracked open an eye in irritation to see what was impeding his goal.

Lying across his chest was Atobe, who Ryoma was holding gently - one hand around the older mans waist and his other hands fingers laced through the soft strands of Atobe's brown hair. _Brown_ , Ryoma noticed, _not purple but a vibrant grayish brown_. For a short moment he was confused, but then everything that had occurred over the last four days came rushing back. He and Atobe had been lost in the woods and it had taken more than a day for them to be found. Both had suffered hypothermia after falling into a nearby river and had spent another entire day in the hospital recuperating. And somewhere within that time frame, Atobe – Ryoma narrowed his eyes down at the top of the older man's head – _Keigo_ had been enveloped into their little world.

Looking back over his shoulder and up, he found Syusuke holding them both in stretched arms with fingers that barely gripped the sleeves of Keigo's pajama shirt. Syusuke and he had both amicably brought Keigo into the bubble they lived in. He smiled softly from where he was nestled between the two. It was strange, but it felt like the good kind of strange; the kind where everything was upside down, without the dizziness. It was as if he could suddenly breathe under water. Many different feelings rushed through him at the thought.

There wasn't a lot of sense to it, but it felt right. He had been truthful before about Syusuke being enough for him, but as he looked down at Keigo once again he realized that there was always room for more. As he settled back down comfortably in the bed, not too worried about the heat anymore, Ryoma took a look around the room to find the source of the murmuring conversation that had brought him out of his dozing. Across the small space of what appeared to be his dorm, Yukimura sat cross legged beside Sanada on the man's bed with Tezuka in the desk chair nearby.

The three were talking lowly to one another. He could make out bits and pieces of what was being said; talk about the tournament, about the time at the hospital, about the upcoming school year, and to Ryoma's surprise, they talked about his relationship. "It was surely an event that surprised even you, ne Tezuka?" Yukimura wondered thoughtfully and Ryoma pondered what the Rikkai captain was referencing.

"They never actually came out as a couple," Tezuka explained and it dawned on Ryoma that they were meaning his relationship with Syusuke, "One day they just walked into practice holding hands and Echizen wearing Fuji's jacket. No one said anything because it wasn't our business."

"Do you know how long they've been dating?" Yukimura asked and Ryoma watched as Tezuka's eyebrows furrowed, "Oh right, you don't like to speculate." When Yukimura began looking their way, Ryoma quickly shut his eyes and pretended to still be sleeping. "This has been an even more surprising development." There was the sound of someone moving about and then the sound of walking. Ryoma was able to just keep his breathing even enough to evade suspicion as Yukimura leaned over the three of them. "Not quite upsetting, but interesting."

"You shouldn't stand over them like that, if they woke up you would have an embarrassing time explaining what you were doing." Sanada's voice floated to his ears and Ryoma sighed as he would in his sleep and tucked his face down into the pillow and Keigo's hair.

He felt more than heard Yukimura move away at the close call. Yukimura gave a disgruntled huff, "And what was I doing, hmm?"

"You were eyeing what you can't have." Sanada's words hit Ryoma like a sixteen wheeler and he stiffened.

"Am I to believe that you don't do the same Genichirou?" Yukimura taunted lowly, as if testing his vice-captain.

"We shouldn't be discussing this with Tezuka here." He answered and Yukimura laughed lightly as if he hadn't just nearly threatened Sanada.

There was a pause before Yukimura's next words ripped the very breath from Ryoma entirely, "Tezuka feels the same." The feeling of winding himself tore the air from Ryoma's lungs and he struggled to gasp in much needed air without gaining the attention of the three men. "He has always wanted Fuji, just as I've always looked after Echizen, and you have had an affliction for Echizen and Atobe."

There was a frustrated groan from who Ryoma assumed to be Tezuka, "We shouldn't be speculating."

"Tezuka, with all due respect, fuck that." The language caught Ryoma off guard and he stifled a laugh that threatened to escape him. Yukimura continued, "We have all had our eyes on things that we thought were attainable until the beginning of this camp. You knew longer, due to their arrival at practice. But the rest of us had no idea that Echizen and Fuji were dating. And now, it seems that Atobe, who had his eye on Echizen as well has managed to do the improbable." After a pause he said, "Look at them."

Ryoma could actually feel their gazes. Gazes of longing and wonder and speculation. He could only guess what was going through their minds; though he could probably guess what was on Yukimura's. The man obviously wanted a relationship with him; if not all of them, just to be with him. As he was sifting through his dubious thoughts, one of the arms wrapped around him shifted until Syusuke's hand was settled along his ribs. A slight pressure of his fingers let Ryoma know that his boyfriend was awake as the digits began to rub into the spaces. Ryoma's arms tightened around Keigo as he turned his face down further into the pillow to silence the giggles that raced up his throat.

Syusuke was as sadistic as the general public claimed him to be if not more so. Ryoma received Syusuke's message loud and clear - _I've heard enough, now it's time to embarrass you awake._ With no space to move away from the probing fingers, the most that Ryoma was able to do was jolt back and forth between his boyfriends slightly while biting his grinning lips. It was manageable at first as he didn't gather the attention of the other three men in the room, but then another set of fingers found his hip and began digging at muscle over his hip bone. Startled laughter poured out of him as he tried to jerk his arms down to block the assault, but his right arm was above the covers and the left was trapped under Keigo's weight, thus they provided no protection.

The two bodies on either side of him closed in and further trapped him as the wandering fingers danced across whatever flesh they could reach; his sides, hips, knees, thighs and eventually up and under his arms. It was only then, a few minutes later, as his laughter went hoarse and then silent that the hands stilled. Syusuke pressed kisses along the back of his neck and he felt Keigo look up at him from under the covers with a guilty smile. "I couldn't help myself." He said softly and it was then that Ryoma realized that it hadn't just been Syusuke tickling him, but Keigo as well.

"If I weren't so winded I'd kick your ass." Ryoma whispered through his remaining stuttered giggles and Keigo smirked in a way that sent Ryoma's heart soaring.

"Forgive us?" Syusuke asked lowly and Ryoma rolled his eyes.

"If I didn't you'd only tickle me until I did." Ryoma mumbled.

Syusuke's answering chuckle brought a happy smile to Ryoma's lips, "When did you figure me out so well?"

Keigo shifted his weight so that Ryoma could pull both of his arms to his chest and he finally turned to look at Syusuke, "We've been dating for three years Syusuke, if I didn't have you pegged by now it'd be disgraceful."

His words brought a gasp from somewhere other than the bed and Ryoma's eyes widened as he remembered that the other three men were still there. Embarrassment flooded through him as his cheeks flamed red and Keigo who'd only been awoken by his shaking rolled over to see them. "You're all in Ore-sama's room?" He wondered with a risen eyebrow.

Ryoma slid a hand down the man's arm until he laced their fingers together, "We're in my room."

Keigo glanced around before nodding and settling back against him again - his thumb rubbing over the back of Ryoma's hand. He eyed the three though before asking, "Why are you all still here?"

"We just wanted to make sure that you two stayed stable." Yukimura answered for the three of them, making Keigo's eyebrow tick up again and Ryoma to force the smile off his face.

"Syusuke was here." Keigo answered blandly, "So the only one with an excuse is Sanada."

"That's right," Syusuke nearly purred as he leaned over while he took Ryoma's free hand in his own, "So pray tell why the two of you are here?" Ryoma stiffened. He knew that Syusuke was fishing - to see if Yukimura would be as confident know as he had been just moments before while thinking them asleep.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Ryoma watched as Yukimura contemplated the cozy spot between a rock and a hard place that he'd walked himself right into. There were only two options: own up to his observations and feelings or lie. He could see that the Rikkaidai buchou was considering things carefully, but that he also knew that Syusuke had heard everything.

It seemed that Yukimura wasn't quite as observant as Ryoma initially thought, but he still may be just as manipulative as Syusuke could be at times. Though it seemed longer, Yukimura settled back down onto the bed beside of Sanada after a quick moment of thought before lifting his gaze to meet Syusuke's.

Keigo melted into Ryoma's left side a little more, continuing to brush his thumb over the back of Ryoma's hand. The atmosphere had taken a very direct about face and he could tell that Atobe was a bit confused. And if he was honest, Ryoma didn't feel that he was quite ready to move forward with this little manhunt quite yet.

The dynamic of his relationship had shifted drastically already with Keigo being enveloped into his little bubble. Everything he was feeling was so fresh and new, and he didn't want to become overwhelmed. So, he said so, "I'm sure that they were just worried. Buchou is obviously here because he's buchou. And Yukimura to keep Sanada company."

Syusuke adjusted his grip on Ryoma's hip below the covers, tapping his fingers three times and Ryoma subtly nodded against Keigo's hair. Much like their shenanigans playing poker several nights before, they had ways of communicating outside of speech. This was his way of letting Syusuke know that he was getting uncomfortable.

Something that Syusuke, after being made aware of, took seriously and reached to pull Keigo closer to them. "Saa, that's good then. But if it's alright with everyone, Ryoma and Keigo are still very tired so we would really appreciate it if we could have some privacy for them to rest." Syusuke's request was as law was chiseled into stone.

Tezuka immediately wrapped his hand around the doorknob and swung the door open gracefully, then held it for the Rikkaidai buchou and fuku-buchou. "Sanada if you wouldn't mind hanging out with Yukimura in our room for a short while?" He asked as he adjusted his glasses, just as commanding as Syusuke had been.

"Of course," Sanada said as he rose from the bed and left the room after giving them a short nod. It was only Yukimura that hesitated, taking in the expression on Ryoma's face, as well as Syusuke's and Keigo's he was sure. Then, after a split second decision, he stood from the bed with a sweeping gait and made to leave the room.

"Feel better Echizen, Atobe," He said softly, though his considering expression didn't change even as he disappeared from Ryoma's line of sight. Tezuka gave them a short nod before closing the door behind them. He really was very similar to Sanada, Ryoma couldn't help thinking again.

In the silence that surrounded them, it was as if there was a new second barrier between Ryoma and the outside world. It now felt that Ryoma was more aware than he had ever been before. Confused and conflicted feelings raged within him as the silence stretched on and on. He was one breath from becoming panicked when Keigo sat up from the covers, not quite letting go of his hand.

"What was that?" Keigo asked in a measured way, "I'm new to all this, so I'm not positive on what just happened, but I'm pretty sure you got upset by something." He ran his fingers through Ryoma's hair. Syusuke sat up on Ryoma's other side with a small smile of agreement.

"Before you woke up to Ryoma's thrashing, we overheard the conversation between your dear fellow buchou's about how they were interested in romantic avenues with us." Syusuke explained shortly, much to the amusing reddening of Keigo's face.

Ryoma always pegged Keigo to be the jealous type, but he was surprised by his shy answer, "Well, it's not all that surprising. So was I."

"You're not anymore?" Syusuke couldn't help but tease and Keigo rolled his eyes.

"If feeling like I'm flying in your presence means that I'm not anymore then yes." Keigo said seriously and Ryoma finally laughed. The air rushed from his lungs as he covered his eyes with his hand, smiling at the ceiling.

When he settled down again he glanced up to find Syusuke looking down at him adoringly and Keigo watching him as if seeing the sea for the first time, with increasing amazement. "What are you feeling Ryo?" Syusuke asked gently and just like that the fluttering anxiety of this new obstacle wiggled itself back into Ryoma's stomach.

He took a deep breath before closing his eyes and allowing everything to spill out, "I'm just feeling a bit out of my element. We haven't really discussed this yet, besides Syusuke and myself. You're a development that I didn't see coming, Keigo. And I'm happy that you were. But now the others are interested as well and I'm frightened because I haven't gotten to have time with you yet. I feel like I don't have enough space or time for more than this."

Keigo's hold on his hand added reassuring pressure and he looked up into his eyes, "I, in no way, saw this coming either. Granted I saw the two of us together, though Syusuke is a welcome part of it too. But all I want for whatever this turns out to be, is for it to be what you're comfortable with. What Syusuke is comfortable with. This is new, but it's what you want right?"

"More than anything," Ryoma found himself saying without really even thinking about it, "at least as far as you are concerned. I don't know how I feel about the others."

"And that's fine," Syusuke intervened with a comforting expression, "We don't have to walk down that road until you're ready to. You're always enough for me Ryoma, but I'm willing to move with you and evolve with you. Just like we have with Keigo. It's what you are going to be happy with, that I'll be happy with."

"Agreed," Keigo confirmed when Ryoma looked his way questioningly. Then he flashed that world shatteringly attractive smirk of his, "I'm just happy to be here."

And that had Ryoma laughing again.

* * *

It was hours later that Ryoma finally emerged from his bedroom with Keigo hot on his heels. After being reassured that they wouldn't wander off into the forest again or a non-signal bearing area, Syusuke had agreed that it was safe enough for them to wander to find food while he took a shower. Ryoma was secretly hoping that Keigo would feel like cooking once they arrived to the kitchens.

Of course, his hopes were dashed when they walked in to find that the chefs were only just putting away the leftovers from that night's dinner. They were allowed to fill up three plates of food and Ryoma assured Keigo that the Ponta in his room wouldn't kill him if he drank it before they went back the way they came.

"Would you cook for Syusuke and I on another day?" He asked as they rounded the corner by the stairs.

"Only if you help," Keigo said with a huff as they climbed the stairs to their floor, "What do you want to make?"

Ryoma muttered thoughtfully, "What can you make?"

"Most things," Keigo said easily as they made it to their floor, "Do you think he's out of the shower yet? I don't think we can open the door."

"Maybe Sanada is back then. It's getting late and he usually gets ready for bed around this time." The look that Keigo gave him made Ryoma's heart start thudding away in his chest, "It's hard not to notice when you're roommates." Keigo only hummed in response.

Ryoma rolled his eyes. Just because he knew what time Sanada began getting ready for bed didn't mean anything. It's a pointless piece of knowledge to have. He kicked the door when he got close enough, hoping that Syusuke would open it.

But when the door cracked open, sure enough, there stood Sanada with his toiletry bag in hand and waiting for Syusuke to get out of the bathroom. "Have you been waiting long?" Keigo asked as they passed him into the room and Sanada shook his head.

By the time Ryoma sat on his bed with his plate of food and a Ponta, instead of sitting at the desk like Ryoma thought he would, Keigo was seated on Sanada's bed and looking quite comfortable. Ryoma rose an eyebrow at him before observing Sanada's perplexed look.

Sanada didn't say anything about it however, instead sitting down in the desk chair.

It didn't take even a full minute before Ryoma had to stifle a groan when Keigo began what was sure to be an awkward conversation with, "So, are you ready to be crushed by the brat tomorrow Sanada?"

The games for the mock tournament had been delayed while Ryoma and Keigo had been missing, but now that they were in full health again the matches were back on. Sanada merely quirked another peculiar look, appearing to be unsure if he should get involved with the conversation. It seemed that he was still a little thrown that Keigo was on his bed.

"There won't be any crushing, unless we're speaking of Echizen's defeat," Sanada said shortly, almost taunting but not quite there. Regardless, Ryoma's blood began to boil in that familiar competitive way.

"You sure about that?"

And there it was; the other shoe. Ryoma's fire immediately smothered out as his eyes darted up to meet Keigo's anxiously. His expression soothed him, a calm demeanor that promised not to cross any predetermined line.

"Yes, Echizen will not be moving on in the tournament," Sanada finally said confidently, the subtlety of Keigo's hinting at Sanada's interest in them completely missing the mark. Keigo smirked in that mischievous way of his and Ryoma cocked his head upon seeing it.

It was different than the pretty smirk that he had witnessed earlier in the day and Ryoma wondered just how many different smiles Keigo had in his repertoire.

"If your match against Tooyama is any indication, your prediction would be false," Ryoma finally pushed, eyes slanting in that confident and challenging way that made many a player desperate to shut him up. Sanada adopted that stern and stuttered expression, letting Ryoma know that he'd pressed the correct button.

"What do you think Syusuke?" Keigo asked causing Ryoma and Sanada's eyes to dart to the open bathroom door where Syusuke stood with freshly dried hair.

Syusuke smiled in a teasing manner, "I'm biased, obviously." He sank onto the bed beside Ryoma, taking his plate of food, "Sanada definitely."

Ryoma let out a put upon huff and glared at Syusuke, "How dare you! I defeat Shiraishi for you and this is the thanks I get. Abandonment. No support?"

"Well, when you put it…" Syusuke was cut off by Ryoma hopping off the bed and rushing over to sit beside Keigo.

"We're sorry, but your apology can't be recorded at this time, because you're now the second favorite boyfriend," Ryoma riddled off in a monotone voice as he took a sip of his Ponta, "You also can't share my drink."

"Are you telling me that if I wasn't upgraded to favorite boyfriend number one that I wouldn't have been able to leave you messages?" Keigo whispered all but threateningly into his ear and that was when a slam startled Ryoma from their banter.

He stared at the bathroom door with a sinking feeling as he realized that Sanada had left without telling anyone. A guilty feeling rose in his throat as he realized their behavior probably pressed the wrong buttons and upset him. "We can't do that anymore," Ryoma said softly as the sound of the water being turned on drifted through the door.

"Be boyfriends?" Syusuke asked seriously and Ryoma realized that there wasn't anything that he could do to prevent hurt feelings if he decided that just Syusuke and Keigo were enough for him.

"I just wish that I didn't feel this way," Ryoma explained even though he was still confused with his feelings. "I don't even know what I feel."

Keigo sighed softly, "I think that you think they're attractive. And that's why it's scaring you."

Ryoma just stared at his plate as a hopeless feeling overtook him and then the bed was dipping as Syusuke joined them. "Ryoma, it's okay to have feelings for them. We are completely on board with what you want." He said reassuringly.

"I don't feel like I have enough room," He said, low and scared.

"You?" Keigo questioned disbelievingly, "With the biggest heart that I've ever seen. You have as much room as you want to give. If you don't like them, then that's fine. But if you do, then that's fine too."

Ryoma let Syusuke raise his chin to look at him, "Only you know what you feel, Ryo. We'll follow you."

The second round of the exact same conversation made Ryoma feel better, but he didn't know for how long. He resigned himself to more confusion, but held onto the peace of mind his boyfriends brought for the time being.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


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